Cosmic Love
by itsnotaboutlove
Summary: Andrea and Leo survived six months apart. Can they survive the events that take place when he returns?
1. Chapter 1

_Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco, California. May 30__th__ 2259_

"I don't understand why you wont add art as a minor, Andy. You're better than me,"

Andrea shifted the large drawing pad that rested against her knees, as the charcoal stained her fingers.

"I just don't want to add more to my plate. I'm supposed to be done with college and back on _Enterprise _in two years," she said, as Chloe shifted on the picnic blanket.

Chloe snorted, "Please, you just want on that ship so you can bone your hot doctor man," she said, causing the younger girl to blush.

"That's not true!" she scoffed, as Chloe stared her down. "Well.. maybe just a little bit true, but really! I've always wanted to be a doctor and to travel space and save people," she said, sketching out decorative roof on the building across from them.

"Yeah, yeah. Speaking of the doctor, when is he coming home? " she asked, digging through the pencil bag between the them.

Andrea shifted against the tree she was leaning against. "They are due back on the first," she said, smiling.

Chloe wiggled her eyebrows, "Any big plans with your Southern Gentleman? He's been on that ship for six months- I say a big welcome home gift would make him happy," she said, elbowing the girl lightly.

Ever since her first day at San Francisco State, Chloe and Alex were her two closest friends at the college. She had made a few friends in her science courses, which she hung out with once in a while, but Chloe and Alex were the ones who kept her sane during the semester. Now that classes were over, they had made plans to see each other almost every other day. Andrea couldn't wait to introduce the couple to Leo and her friends from Starfleet.

"You're bad, Chlo. Really bad," Andrea giggled, as she dug in the bag for a red pencil.

"But you adore me anyway," she said in a sing-song voice, before scribbling on her drawing pad.

They both sat in silence a little longer, drawing the scenery around them and enjoying the warm, sunny day.

Chloe looked up from her pad and spotted two men coming down the pathway. She lifted her hand to block out the sun, frowning at the approaching figures.

"Andy.. Andy!" she hissed, shaking the girl's arm.

"What? You made me mess up on my tree!" she exclaimed, using her finger to correct the smudges.

"That guy looks familiar.." she said, nodding towards the two men.

Andrea looked at her, frowning, before looking down at the path. She squinted as the sun distorted the appearance of the men, before gasping. Throwing her drawing pad to the side, Andrea quickly jumped up and started down the hill.

"ANDY!" Chloe yelled, as at the red-head darted down the slopping hill.

"LEO! LEO!" she shouted, running towards the grinning man.

Within seconds, Andrea launched herself into his waiting arms, wrapping her limbs around him. Chloe was slowly making her way down the hill, avoiding any chances of tumbling down. Andrea leaned back and looked at her boyfriend of eight months.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, grinning like a fool.

"Seeing my girlfriend," he simply said, smiling back at her.

Andrea laughed before kissing him for the first time in nearly six months, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

"Um, can I get a hello too? Or am I just chopped liver?"

Andrea pulled away from her boyfriend and looked over her shoulder, smiling as Jim stood with a pout. Leo placed her down on the ground and Andrea launched herself onto Jim, kissing his cheek.

"Jimmy!" she cooed, hugging him tightly.

"What did I tell you about calling me that? And why are you covered in dirt?" he asked, trying to pull her off him.

Andrea jumped down and looked at her hands, which were stained with charcoal and chalk.

"I am an artist!" she stated, placing her hands on her his.

Leo and Jim glanced at each other, before looking back at the girl.

"Oh really? Since when?" Jim asked.

"I think I'm guilty for that," Chloe finally said, standing a few feet behind Andrea.

Andrea turned around and smiled, before waving for Chloe to come over. Once Chloe was by her side, Andrea threw her arm around her shoulders.

"Chloe, may I introduce you to Jim Kirk and Leo McCoy?" she asked, holding her hand out to the men before them.

Chloe smiled, "Hello. It's nice to finally meet you both. Andy here doesn't shut up about you two and everyone else on your ship," she said.

Leo, Jim and Chloe shook hands, "So you're the girl that's into PolySci," Jim said, nodding his head at her. "You know, _Enterprise _could use someone with your expertise" he said.

Andrea shook her head, "She has a boyfriend, Jimmy,"

Jim held his hands up, "What? I was just stating that someone with her expertise would be beneficial to our ship," he said.

Rolling her eyes, she looked at her boyfriend and smiled. "How about we go back to my place for lunch? Dad should be home soon from his physical therapy and I'm sure he'll be glad to see you both," she said.

They all agreed and headed back up the hill to retrieve their things. Jim picked up Andrea's drawing pad and flipped through the pages.

"Damn Andrea! When did you become the next Monet?" he asked, as he looked through the pad.

Andrea was placing her charcoal tin into her bag, "Not sure. I guess I was born with another talent that you don't have?" she asked.

Leo snorted as Chloe giggled, "Jesus Andrea. He's only been here for at least ten minutes and you're already teasing him," Leo said.

Andrea shrugged as Jim pouted, "That wasn't nice, Andy. Leo check out your girlfriend's artwork. She drew the ship better than the engineers- and look we're in here too!" he said, as he turned the page.

"Okay, how about we look at it when we get home? I'm starving and I need to wash my hands before this stuff becomes a pain to get off," Andrea said, stuffing the picnic blanket into her bag.

Jim closed the drawing pad and handed it to Andrea, who clipped the sides shut. The foursome headed down the hill again and onto the pathway, heading towards the exit. Leo took the pad from Andrea and held it under his arm, while wrapping the other around her shoulders. Chloe and Jim walked further ahead, discussing the benefits of being a political lieutenant and how it would help make treaty making better for Starfleet.

"Surprised?" Leo asked, looking down at his girlfriend.

Andrea smiled up at him, "Very! I'm so glad you're home!" she said, wrapping her arm around his waist.

"Come on! I'm starving and I want a home cooked meal!" Jim shouted, looking back at the couple.

Andrea rolled her eyes, "You couldn't leave him on a rouge planet? " she muttered, as they stepped into the parking lot.

Leo snorted, "I've dealt with his shenanigans for six months, darlin'. Now it's your turn," he said.


	2. Chapter 2

After dropping Chloe off at home, Andrea took the boys back to her home at the Academy, parking in the lot near the Admiral quarters.

"When did you get a car?" Jim asked, as they followed Andrea up the pathway to the condo.

"Daddy suggested that a car would be a logical purchase since I was attending school off campus," she said, as she unlocked the door.

"When did you start using "logical" in your sentences?" Leo asked, frowning.

Looking over her shoulder, Andrea grinned. "It makes me sound more.. scholarly," she said, with a shrug.

Pushing the front door open, Andrea stepped into the cool living room, moving aside to let Jim and Leo in. Tossing the keys onto the small table, Andrea kicked off her flip-flops and headed towards the kitchen.

"Where do you want this stuff?" Leo asked, as he carried her drawing pad.

"You can leave it on the table," she yelled from the kitchen, as she got some glasses down from the cabinet.

Jim snatched the drawing pad from Leo and dashed into the kitchen, throwing himself into a chair. Setting the pad down, he rubbed his hands together in excitement, and began flipping through the pages. Leo strolled in and went to help Andrea with drinks, but she quickly pushed him towards the chair.

"Sit! You've been working for six months straight! I can manage this," she said, smiling at him.

Giving her a quick kiss, Leo took the seat across from Jim, who was engrossed with Andrea's artwork. Andrea put the pitcher of tea back into the fridge and carried two glasses over to the table, setting them down in front of Jim and Leo. She grabbed her drink and took a seat in the chair at the head of the table.

"I never knew you could draw," Jim said, as he studied the drawing of a dorm building nearby.

Andrea took a sip of her tea, shrugging. "I always drew things.. but I guess I didn't really further my skills until I started hanging out with Chloe and Alex," she said.

Jim looked up at her, "Alex? Is she hot?" he asked, grinning.

Andrea rolled her eyes, "Alex is a he, Jim,"

Jim and Leo glanced at each other, as boys were a touchy subject when it came to Andrea.

"A boy, huh?" Jim asked, as he turned to the next drawing.

"Yes, a boy. He's Chloe's boyfriend. So stop that silent communication you two are doing," she said, pointed at them both.

"Don't point at me. You're boyfriend was the one that worried the entire time, taking it out on patients. You should see the welt I had after I got my required vaccination. Looked like a wasp stung the shit out of me.." Jim said

Andrea looked at Leo, who shook his head. She frowned and made a motion that they would talk later about Jim's comment. The front door opened and Andrea moved her gaze from Leo to the door.

"Andy? I'm home!"

"In the kitchen, Dad!" she shouted.

A few minutes later, Christopher came in to the kitchen, walking slowly with the help of a cane. Jim and Leo couldn't hold back their surprise, as the former captain stood before them, leaning slightly against the metal walking contraption.

"No more hot wheels?" Jim asked, pouting slightly.

"How the hell?" Leo asked in disbelief.

Christopher smiled at the two, "Well, you're home early," he said, as they both stood up.

They each gave him a one armed hug, before Leo pulled the chair out next to him for Christopher to sit down. Andrea got up and pour a glass of sweet tea for him, setting in down on the table. Christopher thanked her and looked over at Jim, who went back to studying Andrea's artwork.

"I guess you're surprised to learn that Andrea is an artist here," he said, nodding towards the drawings.

Jim nodded, "These are really amazing, Andy," he said, settling on a page with random miniature drawings.

He laughed, "Bones, you're in here too. In fact, we all are! Look at Chekov! And she got Spock's ears down right!" he said, turning the pad around to show Leo.

Leo pulled the pad closer to him and let his eyes roam around the page, taking in the mixture of nature and images of himself and their friends.

"You even drew a comic? Is there anything you can't do?" he asked, amazed at his girlfriends hidden talent.

"I tried pottery but that didn't work out," she said, shrugging.

Christopher chuckled, "You should see the hallway. And the bedrooms. She has drawings all over the place. Her entire room is covered with paper and art," he said.

Andrea blushed, "I'm running out of space. At this point, I'll have to use the ceilings to hang my work up," she said.

"When did you discover this talent?" Jim asked, as he drank his tea.

Andrea pulled her feet up onto her chair, "I went to one of Chloe's art classes and started doodling around while she worked on her paintings. Her professor was walking by and took notice. He said I have natural talent and that I should add art as a minor. He even said that I could use art to draw out maps and ship blueprints, even though Starfleet does everything electronically," she said.

Jim looked up at Leo, "Better watch out man. She's turning out to be a lot more useful than you. At this rate she can probably draw up some designs for the storage room on the bridge level," he said.

"So, where is everyone?" Andrea asked.

"Jesus, ready to kick us to the curb already?" Leo asked, making her laugh.

"Not at all. But you're not the only two I've missed, you know. Where's my Russian? I've been counting down the days to see his face again!" she said, sighing.

Leo frowned, "Excuse me?" he asked, as Jim and Christopher chuckled.

"What? He's like my little baby brother! Can't a girl miss any of her guy friends, who went off into deep space?" she asked, frowning.

Jim snorted, "According to Leo, no. All he did was mope around and slam things if he didn't speak to you for more than a day," he said, playing with the saltshaker.

Andrea looked at Leo, "Is that so?" she asked,

Christopher looked at Leo with a shake of the head, "You know that ship is still brand new. I'd appreciate it if you didn't slam things around,"

"I slammed one thing down! A box of gauze pads, after this one here nearly burned the skin off his arm on the heaters in engineering!" he snapped, nodding his head towards Jim.

The two started to bicker over who did what, and Andrea quickly jumped in to stop them.

"Alright! Enough! I don't need you two killing each other in the kitchen! Now, how about we invite everyone over and I'll go to the store to get food? We have a barbeque and I want to use it," she stated.

Leo and Jim looked at her with puzzlement on their faces.

"What?" Andrea asked, looking at them both.

"Who are you?" Jim asked, confused at her new lifestyle.

"Andromeda Rose Pike?" she asked, unsure of why Jim was asking her such as silly question.

Leo rolled his eyes, "Okay, Jim how about you call everyone to come over? I'll go with Andrea to the store to get dinner. Can you handle that?" he asked.

Jim glared at him, "I think I can handle calling a few people, Bones," he said.

Christopher sighed, "I'm so glad I came home early to watch you two bicker.." he said, getting up slowly.

"Do you want to come with us?" Andrea asked, as he slowly walked towards the couch.

"No, you two go ahead. I'm gonna rest out here and watch the news," he said, settling down on the sofa.

Grabbing the keys off the table, Andrea quickly slipped her shoes on and grabbed her purse.

"Can you check the grill? See if it actually works?" she asked, as Jim fiddled around with the Comm.

"Yeah sure. Hey, make sure you get beer. That's what I've missed the most since being away. It tastes like piss when it comes out of the replicator," he said, as he sent a mass message to everyone.

Andrea rolled her eyes, "It tastes like piss no matter where you are," she said, snatching his sunglasses off the table.

"Don't break those! They're vintage!" he shouted, as she ran towards the door.

"Ohhh vintage! Oops I scratched them with my keys!" she cried, as Leo opened the front door.

"Andromeda! Give them back!" Jim shouted, running after her.

Leo quickly stepped outside, shutting the door in his face, before turning to Andrea. She stood on the pathway laughing, as she wore Jim's glasses.

"He falls for it every time," she said, laughing and gasping for air at the same time.

Leo wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tightly against him, which caused her to stop laughing.

"Now that I have you all to myself.." he said, before placing his lips onto hers.

Andrea moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. His hand trailed up the back of her shirt, resting below her bra, causing her to shudder in pleasure. She'd missed kissing. And everything else when it came to Leo, that is. They were both too involved in the passion, that they didn't even hear the front door open.

"IF you two are done sucking face, we have people coming over soon so it'd be nice if you went and, oh I don't know.. GOT SOME FOOD!" Jim shouted, as he stood in the doorway.

Andrea lifted her hand off Leo's shoulder and gave him the finger, in which Jim scoffed in return.

"I'm telling your dad, Andy. And I'll put every piece of clothing you have in the shredder.." he said, before slamming the door shut.

Andrea pulled away from Leo, "I really wish you left him on a rouge planet!" she exclaimed, as he took her by the hand and led her to the parking lot, laughing the entire way.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone! Glad you enjoyed the first two chapters! This one is kinda dull. I've been busy today with work and getting things organized before spring break, which starts tomorrow! Anyways, here's the next chapter! Enjoy! **

After a quick run to the store, Andrea and Leo returned to the condo with a good amount of food to feed everyone. As Andrea parked her car, she could see a few people coming down from the courtyard. They both got out of the car and moved to the trunk, to remove the groceries.

"Oi! Is that my lil' lassie, Andrea?" someone shouted.

Andrea peered around the trunk door and let out a screech, before setting the bags down on the ground. She took off running, as Jim ran past her to help Leo.

"About time you showed up! I'm starving!" Jim yelled, as he grabbed the bags Andrea had put on the ground.

"Scotty!" Andrea cried, as she threw herself into his arms for a hug.

"Look at ye! Have ye gotten taller?" he asked, holding her away to look at her.

"It appears that Andrea has reached her full height for her age group,"

"SPOCK!" Andrea shouted, pulling away from Scotty and grabbing the Vulcan for a hug.

Spock, who was still trying to adjust to the overload of physical affection, lightly hugged her back.

"I see that you have missed everyone," he said, as she pulled away.

She smiled, "of course! Talking to everyone via comm is one thing, but seeing everyone in person is another!" she said, as Leo and Jim walked over to them.

"A little help please?" Leo asked, as he struggled to hold bags and a case of beer in his hands.

Andrea quickly grabbed the beer from him, while Scotty took some bags. The foursome made their way up to the condo, and were greeted by the sound of laughter from the backyard. The bags were set on the kitchen table, and Andrea quickly went outside to see the rest of her friends. Nyota was talking to Christopher, when she turned and saw her friend.

"ANDY!" she shouted, rushing towards the younger girl.

Andrea let out a scream and both girls hugged each other, squeezing the life out of their bodies.

"Oh my god! Look at you! You look amazing!" Nyota said, as she scanned the red-head.

"Oh stop! I look just the same as I did when you left!" she said, shaking her head.

"No, I think I see some grey's there," Hikaru said, as he and Chekov made their way over to them.

"I do not!" Andrea exclaimed, as she pulled the helmsman into a hug.

"Andrea is still wery pretty, Sulu. Not a single grey hair on za head," Chekov said, blushing slightly.

"Thank you, Pavel," Andrea said, as she hugged him. "I'm so glad you're all here! I've missed you guys so much!" she said, as Leo stepped outside.

"Jim says the grill works, And. We're going to put the burgers on, is there anyone here who's a vegetarian?" he asked, looking at his friends.

They all shook their heads, "If you have a veggie burger that would be fine. I don't think Spock will eat meat," Nyota said, unsure of what her boyfriend felt comfortable in eating.

"I have a few in the freezer, if he wants any. I'll start a salad and Leo wanted some southern dish that I've never heard of…" Andrea said with a shrug.

"Hey, watermelon and pecan salad is good! My mama makes it all time," he said, as Andrea nodded.

"Alright! I'll make it, Leo! I didn't say that I wouldn't," she said, rolling her eyes at Nyota.

While the girls moved into the house to start on the food, Jim came out with the burgers and barbeque sauce. Chekov and Hikaru went over to the grill to help, while Leo started back inside. Andrea and Nyota were busy pulling the rest of the food out of the bags, while Spock made his way outside.

"What is the gorgonzola for?" Nyota asked, holding the plastic container of cheese.

Andrea shrugged, "Leo put it in the wagon," she said, carrying the lettuce over to the sink.

"You put it on the salad," he said, grabbing a bowl out of a cabinet.

Nyota grabbed the cucumbers and peppers and started peeling them for the salad. Andrea rinsed the lettuce off and set it on a cutting board, before moving across the kitchen to get a knife.

"Which salad?" she asked, as she began to cut the lettuce.

"The watermelon and pecan one," Leo said, as he went to get the watermelon slice and bag of pecans.

Nyota and Andrea looked at each other, exchanging looks of disgust, before Andrea looked back at Leo.

"What? You can't put that on watermelon!" she said, as Leo unwrapped the watermelon slice.

"Yes you can! That's how you make the salad," he said, as he started cutting the fruit.

"I don't like cheese! It smells like feet," she said, watching as he cut.

"Andrea, you're gonna have to try new things. I'm from the south and we like our food a certain way," he told her, making Nyota laugh.

"Uh oh, looks like someone is getting a lesson on how to be a housewife," she said, tossing the chopped peppers into the bowl with the lettuce.

"I'm not being a housewife. And even if I was going to be a housewife, I wouldn't make that at all," she said, nodding her head to the salad Leo was making.

"I'll give you five bucks if you try it," Nyota said, leaning against the counter.

"Five bucks? Jesus Ny, is that all I'm worth?" she asked, before plucking a piece of watermelon out of the bowl.

"I'll add twenty-I say she tries it and likes it. Then she'll apologize and say "Leo you were right and I was wrong. This is the best damn salad I've ever had" and everything will be alright in the world, " said Leo.

Andrea snorted "You're both retarded if you ask me," she said, before she continued working on the salad.

A half and hour later, everyone sat around the table in the yard, as bowls moved around. A pitcher of freshly made Sweet Tea sat on the table, as well as beer and water. The group chatted and caught up in the events that took place on Earth and in space, discussing the status of new Vulcan.

"They're settling on the new planet as well as they can manage. It'll take time for them to get used to," Jim said, as he passed the salad bowl to Hikaru.

"Jim is right. My people will need to understand the differences in their surroundings of this new planet. But I see no scenario of impossible survival that would take place," said Spock.

"I can't believe they found another planet that quickly, though. Usually it takes months, even years, to find a suitable planet to start life on," said Andrea, as she wiped her hands on a napkin.

Christopher sat back in the chair; "The planet they picked has gone through intensive research for years. That's why they picked it and moved in so quickly," he said.

"It's beautiful though. The water is clear and crisp and the landscapes are fantastic," Nyota said, while Scotty and Jim mimicked her.

"I hope you have pictures, Ny. I need to see this clear, crisp water," Andrea said, as she took a sip of her tea.

"Why? You plannin' to move there?" Leo asked.

Andrea shrugged, "If it's as beautiful as Nyota says, why not? I didn't get a chance to step foot on the original planet.." she said, with a shrug.

Leo muttered something about being dead before moving to a planet filled with Vulcans, which earned him a quick kick on the leg.

"So, how long are you guys staying?" she asked.

Jim shrugged, "We were told six weeks. But who knows at this point. I'm hoping they say a month, because I miss real food," he said, grabbing another burger off the plate.

"Ah hope it's not six weeks. Ah need to be back on that ship," Scotty said, shaking his head.

"You rather be on the ship, Scotty? I thought you'd want to spend some time with me," Andrea said, pouting.

"Of course ah wanna spend time with ya, Andy. But ah already miss mah baby," he said, with a frown.

"Yeah, yeah.." she muttered, pushing the food on her plate around.

"How about after we eat, we play some soccer?" Hikaru asked. "I haven't played in years, and this nice weather is perfect for a little game,"

Everyone nodded in agreement, "Why not? We can split up into teams and go from there," Nyota said.

"I'm with Pavel!" Andrea shouted, as she chewed on a pepper.

What about me?" Leo asked, looking over at her.

"You can play with Jim," she said, with a shrug.

"Someone's feisty," said Jim, as he laughed.

Leo muttered and huffed, while the others laughed.

"Alright enough talking! Finish eating because I want to play!" Andrea ordered.


	4. Chapter 4

Later that night, after everyone had gone home, Andrea lounged on her bed next to Leo, enjoying some alone time. Her father had retired to bed, shortly after their company had left, but not before he reminded Andrea to lock the house up after Leo had left. Andrea stretched her legs and started to move onto her side, letting out a hiss as a sharp pain ripped through her knee.

"You're knee still hurtin'?" Leo asked, as Andrea shifted onto her side.

She shook her head, while propping a pillow between her knees. During their soccer game, Andrea thought she could steal the ball from Scotty, as did Jim, which resulted in a pile of limbs and awkward poses on the ground. Jim landed on her leg, and somehow managed to put a small crack on the knee cap, which ended Andrea's soccer career before it could even start.

"I'm fine. How long is that stuff supposed to work? I want to go to the beach tomorrow," she said, as Leo wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"You ain't goin' to the beach tomorrow, if you can't walk," he told her, as she rested her head against his chest.

"Il be fine tomorrow morning!" she insisted, as Leo pulled her tightly to his side.

"Last time I checked, I was the doctor and you were the one with a cracked knee cap," he pointed out, looking down at her.

"I can still kick you out of my house," she mumbled, as her closed her eyes.

Leo chuckled, "Then who's gonna give you all the drugs for your injuries that you always seem to get, when playing games with Jim?" he asked, as Andrea groaned.

She felt a tingle run up and down her leg, as the medicine kicked in, healing the crack in the bone as she rested.

"Don't be so cocky. I didn't start dating you for drugs, Bones. You make me sound like I'm addicted," she mumbled.

"Alright, I apologize," he said, as she snuggled closer to him.

"I accept," she said.

Leo pulled the throw blanket up and over her, blocking out the chilly air blasting from the air conditioner. He shifted against the pillows, before taking hold of Andrea's hand.

"So what else did you do while I was gone? Besides school and becoming an artist?" he asked, as their fingers intertwined.

"Hmmm, you know, just the normal college experience. Went to a few parties, underage drinking, smokin' a few doobies and hooking up with the opposite sex," she said, before lifting her head off his chest to look at him. "I got my nipple pierced, too" she said, with total seriousness.

Leo just stared at her, unsure if he would laugh or start yelling. Instead a simply "Huh?" escaped his lips, causing the young woman to collapse into a fit of giggles.

"The look on your face! I wish I had my camera!" she laughed, as she rolled in her spot on the bed.

Leo turned over and pulled her into his arms, tickling her lightly. Andrea tried to keep her laughter down, as her father slept in the room across the hall.

"You sure ain't helpin' to keep me young, And. All your joking around is gonna give me a stroke," he said, kissing her neck.

"More like that southern fried food you've been eating. All that grease is probably clogging up your arteries," she shot back, as he nipped the skin below her ear.

They settled into a comfortable silence, as the air conditioner hummed, and the sound of their breathing filled the close space between them. Leo rested his chin on her shoulder, rubbing his fingers against her stomach.

"Did you really get a piercing?" he finally asked, making her giggle.

"No way. I'd never put some metal contraption anywhere on my body besides my ears. Plus the idea of having someone stab me through the boob is not a pleasing image I'd want to see," she said, shuddering at the thought.

Leo snorted, "You're right. Besides, I can't let you ruin such a perfect pair with tacky jewelry," he said, making her laugh.

"You are such a typical man, Leo. I mention something about my boobs, and you're mind automatically goes to the gutter," she sighed, rolling over to face him.

" Can ya blame me? I've been gone for six months and I haven't had any physical contact for six months," he muttered.

Andrea yawned, "Well, you're gonna have to wait a little longer. I'm not doing anything while my dad is sleeping across the hall," she said as her eyelids began to droop.

Leo pulled the blanket that was covering her legs, up higher and reached for the switch next to the bed. The lights went out and Andrea snuggled closer to him, pulling part of the blanket over him as well.

"Dad's not going to enjoy finding you in my bed tomorrow," she said, as her head rested against his chest.

"Too late to leave now. Besides, I could get lost walkin' back to my old room or attacked," he said, yawning as well.

"With your loud mouth? You'd be the target they'd want to avoid," she said, as she threw her leg over his, wincing as her knee burned. "Now shut your loud mouth and go to sleep," she said, as she closed her eyes finally.

The next morning, Christopher woke up early, to a silent house. Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was a little after eight, and he was curious as to why his daughter wasn't up and moving about. The night before, she spoke about going down to the beach, bummed knee or not. As someone who lived on a beach for many years, Christopher knew that one needed to be up before dawn to make it down by the water for a decent spot. Especially if you lived fifteen minutes from the nearest beach, like they did in San Francisco.

Pushing the blankets off, Christopher pulled himself out of bed and grabbed the cane that was propped against the night stand. It was difficult walking around with the contraption, but he was relieved to finally stand on his own two feet after months of sitting. He slowly made his way towards the bedroom door, allowing his stiff joints to wake up after shutting down for the night. Pulling the door open, he stepped out into the hall and made his way across to Andrea's.

Knocking lightly, he waited for her to answer. "Andrea? Are you awake?" he asked, before opening the door.

To say he was surprised to find his only child in bed with her much older boyfriend was an understatement. He had rules in his house, and one of them simply stated that there would be no boys sleeping in any bed with his child- unless they were married. Christopher watched as his daughter slept peacefully, curled up against Leo's side, her head against his chest. Leo had one arm draped across his face, blocking out the morning sunlight, while the other was wrapped around Andrea's shoulders. Sometime during the night, the blankets were kicked to the bottom of the mattress, while a throw blanket covered them- mostly Andrea, as a small section covered a small portion of Leo.

Slightly annoyed that Leo had spent the night in his child's bed, he couldn't bear to wake them up. After a rough semester, which only ended a few days previously, Andrea deserved to sleep in. The beach would be there when she woke up, as it always was everyday. He would have words with her and McCoy, and remind Andrea that it didn't need to wake up and see McCoy leaving her bedroom to go back to his dorm in the mornings. If he needed a place to crash after a long night, the couch was comfortable enough. Stepping out into the hall, Christopher quietly pulled the door shut behind him and made his way into the kitchen to make coffee.


	5. Chapter 5

The beach was semi-crowded, when Andrea, Leo and Jim arrived, setting up camp close to the water. It was a hot and humid day, and the sand burned as Andrea hopped around, waiting for Leo and Jim to set the blanket out. Twenty minutes after they arrived at the beach, Chloe and Alex showed up with a cooler and surfboards. After a quick introduction, the boys went off towards the water, while the girls set the umbrella up.

"Wanna surf?" Chloe asked, as she rubbed a glob of sunscreen across her flat belly.

Andrea had just finished applying her own sunscreen on, and knelt next to her bag. "I never surfed before. Is it hard?" she asked, as she folded her clothes up.

"You'll find it difficult at first, but once you can control your balance you'll be fine, she said.

"Balance for what?" Jim asked, as he sloshed up towards them.

Chloe smiled at him, "Surfing," she answered.

"Yeah, I saw you had boards. There's a shack up that way that lets you rent them out. I think I'm gonna go grab one and hit some waves," he said, wiping his face off with a towel.

"How'd you learn to surf? You're from Iowa," Andrea said, frowning.

Jim rolled his eyes, "I've lived here for what? Four years? How come you don't surf?" he asked.

"I don't know how to,"

Jim snorted, "And you're from California. I thought all you people surfed here," he said, grabbing his wallet from her bag.

"Just like we all sit around getting stoned and getting liposuction?" she asked.

"Hey, you should get some lipo. You've got a little muffin top growing there," he said, squeezing the flesh on her hip.

Andrea punched his arm, "You little shit!" she snapped.

Jim laughed, "I'll give you fifty bucks if you come out there and stay on the board for more than ten seconds," he said.

"Make it a hundred and I'll do it," she shot back.

Jim waved his hand at her and headed up the beach towards the surf shop, as Leo and Alex returned to the spot.

"Where's he going?" Leo asked, as he grabbed a towel off the ground.

"Going to get a surfboard," Andrea said, as she tossed a water bottle down on her bag.

"Great, can't even enjoy a day off. You know he's gonna slam into some rocks and bleed all over the place," he whined, as he laid the towel out on the blanket.

Andrea and Chloe exchanged eye rolls, before Andrea turned to look her boyfriend. Leo had just laid out to dry off, when she sprung the news on him.

"I'm gonna do it, too," she said, to which Chloe cheered.

"You're what? Do you even know how to surf?" he asked, as the two girls started towards the surf shop.

"No, but it doesn't hurt to try!" Andrea said, as they ran across the hot sand.

Leo cursed, "That woman's gonna be the death of me!" he said, as Alex chuckled.

"Don't worry man. She'll probably wipeout on her first try, then spend the rest of the day up here," he said.

Twenty minutes later, Andrea, Chloe and Jim returned with two surfboards and excited smiles. The three of them, along with Leo and Alex headed down by the water. Alex made Andrea lay upon the surfboard next to his, and he showed her how to paddle and stand upon the board. He then showed her how to balance herself, while riding the waves and what to do if she were to fall off. Once she assured everyone that she was ready, the four started out into the cold water.

"Will you try to not get yourself killed?" Leo asked, as he stood in the surf.

"I'll be fine! Stop being such a mother hen," Andrea said, before giving him a quick kiss.

Leo watched as she paddled through the waves next to Chloe, moving further out until she became a small dot in the middle of the sea. Leo didn't realize how big the waves were, until the rose and fell, crashing along the shoreline. He suddenly realized that he'd just allowed his girlfriend to practically surf along a tsunami. He knew these waves were surfed by professionals, and Andrea wasn't a professional at all. He moved further back, as another wave crashed down against the shore, nearly knocking him off his feet.

"Oh fuck me," he muttered, as the next set of waves started moving in.

Surfers all about started paddling forward, and Leo could see Andrea and the others doing the same. He wanted to look away, but couldn't do it. He felt the dread settle in, as he watched Andrea pull herself up onto the board. He held his breath, as she managed to hold her balance, skirting under the crest of the wave. Further down, Alex and Chloe were surfing like professionals, while Jim moved further away from the trio.

It didn't take long for Andrea to lose her balance and disappear beneath the surface. Leo could've sworn that he heard her scream, as the board skimmed across the surface of the water. Leo cursed before rushing into the water, diving under, before breaking the surface to catch his breath. He then quickly started moving out, hoping his girl was in one piece.

By then, Jim was in shallow water, and heard a man yell out to his friend.

"That chick just wiped out!" he laughed, pointing out at the water.

Jim jumped off the board and picked it up, before looking out at the water.

"Which chick?" he asked, as the stoner laughed.

"Red-head in the green bikini," he said, nodding towards the waves.

"Shit!"

Jim quickly dropped the board and headed back into the water, diving under as the waves washed overhead. As he moved further out, he could hear Chloe screaming for Andrea. Jim looked out and saw the blonde paddling on her board, stopping every few minutes to sit up and shout.

"Andy!" she yelled.

"Do you see her?" Jim shouted back, getting her attention.

"Jim!" she paddled towards him. "I could've sworn that she fell here! Oh god, I why did I have to open my mouth about surfing?" she cried, as they bobbed along the waves.

"It's not your fault, Chlo. Andy would've gone out anyway without any encouragement. That's how stubborn she is. Where's Alex?" Jim said.

"He went to get a lifeguard," she said, looking around for any sign of Andrea.

"WHERE THE HELL IS SHE?"

Both Chloe and Jim turned, to find Leo swimming towards them. He looked frantic and pissed off, as he reached the two.

"Why the hell would you let someone, with no surfing experience, come out and surf on waves the size of planets? Are you people crazy!' he shouted.

Chloe was close to crying, "Leo.. I didn't.." she started.

Jim held his hand up, "Stop. No one knew the waves would be this big. The more we stay here and shout at each other, the less chance we have of finding Andy. Let's split up and start looking, " he said.

Chloe turned her board around and started west, while Leo headed east. Jim figured he would take the grim task, of searching the ocean floor, praying that he wouldn't find her lifeless body. After ten minutes, they met up halfway with no Andrea.

Leo slammed his fist against the water, "Goddamn it! She can't be gone, Jim. She's lived on a beach her whole fucking life! It's not like she can't swim!" he shouted, as the panic filled him.

"We should go back to shore get Alex and the lifeguard. Then we should call her dad," Chloe said, as cried.

They reached shore within minutes, slowly making their way out of the water. Chloe clutched her board under her arm, walking silently with her head down.

"I should've made her return that damn board," Leo said, as he walked next to Jim.

"Stop. You know she would've gone out there anyway, Leo. She's not going to listen to you when you tell her she can't do something," he said.

Leo cursed, "Yeah and look where it got her," he snapped, as tears filled his eyes.

Jim sighed, "Look, I'm sorry. I was the one that egged her on makin-" he stopped, looking straight ahead.

He quickly tapped Leo on the arm, causing the older man to look at him.

"What's-" he started, but Jim just pointed.

Leo looked to where he pointed, and nearly fainted on the spot. Sitting on the blanket, with a towel draped around their shoulders was Andrea. Alex handed her a bottle of water, which she took with a small smile, twisting the cap open. Leo quickly ran up the beach, with Chloe and Jim behind him. Just as Andrea was about to take a sip, Leo had her up on her feet and into his arms.

"You evil woman! I should send you off to Delta Vega in nothin' but your swimsuit," Leo said, as he hugged her tightly.

He set her down, taking her face into his hands. "What were you thinkin'?" he demanded.

Andrea coughed, feeling the effects from being thrown around in the waves and the rough tackle she received from her boyfriend. The water bottle now laid at her feet, soaking the blanket.

"Jim owes me a hundred bucks," she sputtered, which only angered Leo more.

"I thought you were dead, Andromeda Rose!" he shouted.

Chloe and Alex quickly excused themselves, heading back up to get dried off, while Jim stood in the surf, watching his two closet-friends.

Andrea looked at him, her eyes wide with shock. "What are you talking about?" she asked, confused. 

Leo let his hands fall to his side, laughing bitterly. "What am I talking about? I saw you fall off your damn board and you didn't come back up? We looked all over for you!"

Andrea shook her head, "I've been up here for twenty minutes. The wave practically washed me back to shore," she said.

Leo pinched the bridge of his nose, "I don't care if the goddamn wave washed you back home and tucked you into bed, Andrea! I thought you were dead!" he yelled.

"Bones.." Jim started, but Leo quickly turned around.

"You be quite," he snapped, before turning back to Andrea.

"Don't you dare start yellin' and hollerin' at me like I'm a child!" Andrea warned, sounding too much like Leo for Jim to handle.

Leo sighed and shook his head, before grabbing her and pulling her into his arms. "You pull a stunt like that again.. God help me," he muttered into her tangled hair.

Jim moved past the couple and flopped down onto a towel, burying his face within it to block out the sun and the panic he had been filled with.

Andrea gave Leo a kiss, "I'm sorry for scaring you," she said.

"I'm so mad at you," said Leo, as he wrapped his arms around her.

She nodded and he quickly looked her over, "Are you hurt?" he asked, examining her ribs for any damage.

"No. Just water logged with a bruised ego," she muttered, as he kissed her forehead.

"That's better then a broken neck or death," he pointed out.

Turning around to rest the back of her head against his chest, Andrea looked at her friends with a frown.

"Where the hell did my board go? I wanna go again."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! I posted a new story called **_**Heartlines. **_**It's a Jim/OFC story. Andrea doesn't exist in that story, so we have a single Leo ): Anyways, I hope you enjoy it and here's the next chapter of CL :D Reviews would be nice! **

Andrea rolled over and stretched, hissing as her stiff joints cracked. Opening her eyes, she blinked a few times, before looking at the clock on her nightstand. The red lights glared back at her, reading _7:26 PM. _The room was silent, the hum of the air conditioner vacant, as the curtains on the window moved in the breeze. Andrea lifted her head off the pillows and looked around the room, trying to remember how she got there in the first place. The sun was still out, though it would be dark within an hour or two.

Kicking the blankets off, Andrea pulled herself out of bed and walked to the door. Stepping out into the hall, she was met with the aroma of spices that made her stomach rumble with hunger. Making her way down the hall, she heard voices from the kitchen and frowned. She couldn't remember her father saying that they'd have guests tonight, and grew slightly annoyed that she would have to entertain people.

"Look who finally woke up!" Jim said, as he stood at the stove, a spatula in one hand, while the other rested on the handle of a frying pan.

Leo was crouched down in front of the fridge, digging around for something, when he stood up and looked over at his bedraggled girlfriend. Her hair hung in frizzy curls around her head, as she left it damp before passing out four hours previously. Her face was slightly pink, after spending the entire afternoon in the sun, both on land and in the water. He smirked as she glared at Jim, before closing the door to the fridge and walking over to her.

"Good nap?" he asked, before kissing the top of her head.

She grunted in response, before shuffling past him, dropping down into a chair at the table. Andrea propped the side of her head on her hand, while the other rested on her lap. She closed her eyes and fell into a light slumber, as Jim yelped a few times at the popping oil in the pan.

"Ouch.. shit that hurt," he said, as he reached over to lower the heat.

"I told you to be careful with the oil," Leo said, as he took a few plates down from the cabinet.

Christopher stepped in from the backyard, "I hope you're not trying to burn my house down," he said, stopping at the table.

"I hope you have insurance then. I'm not sure if Jim should even be near a stove, let alone anything that can set a place on fire," Leo said.

Christopher shook his head, before looking down at Andrea, who lightly slept at the table. He placed his hand on the back of her head, which made her jump.

"Sleep good?" he asked, as she groaned.

"Stop Dad.." she whined, as he pulled the unruly curls away from her face, examining the sunburn she had received earlier.

"Better put something on that, Kiddo. You know what happens when you leave sunburn unattended," he said, before heading towards the sink.

"Mmmhmmm," she replied, closing her eyes again.

Jim turned the stove off, removing the chicken stir-fry from the pan and into a bowl. Setting the frying pan into the sink, he went to the freezer and took a bag of frozen corn out.

"Here, this should help," he said, handing the bag over to Andrea.

She looked at the bag of corn, before taking it. Looking at Jim as if he were crazy, she lightly put the frozen bag to her face and hissed. The freezing contrast against her burnt skin began to sting, as she leaned back in the chair groaning.

"This hurts!" she cried, as the bag rested across her face.

"No shit. Just give it a minute and you'll thank me for it," he said, before moving back to the stove to retrieve dinner.

Leo set a bowl of salad on the table, "I'll go get a hypo and some aloe. Next time you'll listen to me when I tell you to get out of the sun," he said, before disappearing down the hall.

Andrea rolled her eyes, "Why am I dating him? He's so goddamn bossy," she said, irritated by the scolding she received from Leo all day long.

Christopher moved to the table, sitting down at the end, "Well, I take it he's still mad for the stunt you pulled today," he said.

Pulling the bag of frozen corn off her face, she looked over at her father, who looked back at her. She rolled her eyes, annoyed that Leo wouldn't let go of the surfing incident. After demanding to know where the board went, Andrea found it and was ready to go back and try again. After a heated "spat" between herself and Leo, he went back to the blanket in defeat, while Chloe and Jim went back out to surf. After a few falls, Andrea quickly picked up the skill and managed to stay on the board the entire time, while riding the waves. She wasn't a professional by any standards, but she was what Chloe considered, a "trainee".

"He can be mad all he wants. Doesn't mean he needs to treat me like a child," she said, as placed the bag across her mouth and chin.

Jim sat down on the other end of the table, "Can you blame the guy, And? You scared the shit out o him when we couldn't find you," he said.

Andrea huffed, "Can we not talk about this anymore? It was an accident and I'm fine. Besides, you're the one that always says if you fall, you get up and try again. Don't go back on your motto," she snapped.

"Andromeda, you claim that you're not a child, but right now you're acting like one. A spoiled brat if you ask me," Christopher said, annoyed at her behavior.

She looked at her father, before tossing the bag down on the table. She pushed the chair back and quickly got to her feet, storming around the table towards the hall.

"What about dinner?" Jim asked, as she stormed by.

"I'm not hungry anymore. I've suddenly lost my appetite," she snapped.

Leo was coming out of the bathroom, holding a hypospray and some aloe, when Andrea stormed towards him. He looked up at her and smiled, unaware that his girlfriend was in near tears.

"This should help with the pain," he said, as she pushed past him.

Leo turned to look at her, "Andrea? Where are you goin'?" he asked, as she stepped into her room.

The sound of the door slamming shut behind her and the click of the lock was his answer. Sighing, Leo went into the kitchen and sat down at the table, setting the hypospray and bottle of aloe next to his plate.

"What happened?" he asked.

Christopher sighed and shook his head, while Jim ate the dinner that he and Leo practically slaved over.

"Andrea threw a shit fit and claimed that you're treating her a like a baby, with all the scolding. Then he called her a spoiled brat and she got all mad and took off," he said, pointing his fork at Christopher.

Leo looked at the Admiral, "Really?" he asked.

"She just doesn't understand why everyone is annoyed at her. I'm tellin' you, she just doesn't stop and think sometimes before doing something. She's too goddamn stubborn," Christopher said.

"Yeah, but she got that from you," Leo pointed out, and Christopher knew he was right.

Jim sighed, "Look, it's my fault that she even went out there to begin with. I made a bet with her, and she jumped on it," he said.

Christopher shook his head; "It's not entirely your fault, though I do hold you responsible for egging her on. I'm going to talk to Chloe the next time she's here. That girl has Andrea doing things that so out of character for her. Don't get me wrong; she's a nice young woman. She's been a good friend for Andrea since you guys left, but some of the stuff she does.. is very questionable," he said.

Leo held up his hand, "Just.. don't ruin their friendship, Chris. The last thing you need is for Andy to lose a friend, one who's been there for her and goes to school with her. She's probably trying to get used to having us around again. Things happen when you go away for a long period of time," he said.

"Maybe I should've sent her to New York or something. I asked if she wanted to go anywhere this summer, and she said no. She wanted to spend the summer here with you guys and friends from school. Maybe she needs to get out of San Francisco for a while, you know? A change of scenery," Christopher said, with a shrug.

"Or you could just send her off to Delta Vega? It's a lovely planet and her ice queen attitude would go well with the climate," said Jim.

"I wasn't serious when I said I'd send her there, Jim!" Leo snapped, as the young man laughed.

"It was still funny. Maybe she could bunker down at Scotty's old station.. I'm sure there's some leftover dried food or whatever that garbage was," he said, shrugging.

Leo rolled his eyes, suddenly exhausted after an eventful day. All he wanted to do was lay down and sleep until he felt better. It was a long walk from the Admiral quarters to his dorm, which he didn't have the strength for. But with his girlfriend locked up in her bedroom, he would probably have to crash on the sofa, while Jim either spent the night on the other or went to the dorm. Either way, he had a massive headache and a pissed off girlfriend on his hands.

"Let's just eat and let her sulk for a while. Eventually she'll come out and the entire thing will blow over," Christopher said, as he picked up the bowl of stir-fry.

He handed it over to Leo, who took it and scooped some out onto his plate. "Hopefully she'll get off her high horse and understand where we're coming from," he said, sighing.

"You and me both. I don't know how you've dealt with her "I can do anything" shtick, for eighteen years," Leo said.

"Just look at the grey hair, Leo. There's your answer," said Christopher, as he picked up his glass of water.


	7. Chapter 7

**Spring Break and I'm dreadfully bored. D: My job forced me to take my vacation early this year- which is fine by me! So I'll be writing with or without reviews. Luckily Titanic 3D is rereleasing this week! One cool thing about this entire vacation!**

The next few days were filled with endless bottles of aloe vera and a very crabby, sunburnt Andrea, who suffered from sun poisoning. She couldn't leave the house without a long sleeved shirt and hat, per Leo's orders. In too much pain to argue, Andrea did what he said to avoid another argument, and moped around the house.

"So, I have some news," Jim said, as he, Andrea and Leo, sat around a bon-fire in her backyard.

It was dusk, and they had an early dinner with their friends at a diner in town. The trio returned to the Pike residence, while the others went off to a bar.

"Spock is becoming Captain?" Andrea asked, as she lounged across Leo's lap.

Leo chuckled while Jim rolled his eyes, "Ha ha, Andy. Really funny," said Jim.

She shrugged, "What? It could've been a possibility!" she said, before resting her head against Leo's shoulder.

"No it wouldn't. Anyways, I've decided to move out of the dorms and into an apartment off campus," he said, using the poker to turn the logs on the fire.

"What's wrong with the dorms?" asked Leo, as he swatted a mosquito away from Andrea's legs.

Jim sighed, "It's just time to get out of there, Bones. Let some newbies take it who will be there all the time," he said.

Leo frowned, "And where the hell am I supposed to live? The streets?" he asked.

Jim tossed another piece of wood into the fire, "No, you're moving in with me," he said, as the flames picked up.

Andrea laughed, "Did you sign his name on the papers? You sound very sure of this," she said.

Jim just looked at the fire before him, avoiding their stare, and Leo groaned.

"Please tell me you didn't. Jim.."

He held up his hands, "I had to! Had I waited, I would've lost the place to some couple with two little kids. This is totally not an apartment for children!" he exclaimed.

"Goddamn it, Jim! Why couldn't you just tell me that you wanted to get a place? You can't just sign my name onto a legal document without my knowing! It's against the law!" Leo snapped.

Andrea put her hand against his chest, trying to calm him down. The last thing she needed was a grumpy boyfriend, despite the fact that she had been moody all week with him.

"Now, hold on. Let's just find out what the apartment is like before we get all crazy," she said, looking at her boyfriend. She then turned and looked over at Jim, "How much is it a month?" she asked.

"Well, it was originally $1500 a month.. but when the lady found out that I was Captain of the _Enterprise, _she knocked it down to $830 a month. That's including utilities," he said.

"Alright, so it's $430 a month. That's not bad considering how some apartments are going these days," she said, with a shrug.

"I'm glad you think this is alright, Andrea. How the hell am I going to pay $430 a month?" Leo asked, annoyed.

She scoffed, "You work for Starfleet and you're a CMO! You make enough money to buy a damn mansion in Bel Air!"

Jim nodded, "She's right. Bones, come with me tomorrow to look at it. Once you see it, you wont say no!" he begged.

"I wanna go, too!" Andrea cried.

Leo sighed, "Fine, I'll go. But if I don't like it, you're own your own!" he snapped.

Andrea cheered, "Yay! I'm so excited!" she said, clapping her hands.

"You're only excited because you've ran out of things to re-decorate," said Leo, as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

The next day Andrea accompanied the boys to the apartment, secretly hoping that Leo would fall in love with it. She was tired of going to their dorm room every other night, receiving looks as she walked down the halls after spending the night. Plus, with the incoming students, it was time to move on and give the dorm up.

Parking in front of the complex, Andrea stood outside her car and smiled. From the outside, it looked like a lovely place to live in. Palm trees and flowerbeds lined the walkways, while a swimming pool laid a few plots down.

"It looks nice!" Andrea said, as they started through the courtyard.

Leo looked around, "It's alright," he said, displaying no indication of how he really felt.

Andrea rolled her eyes and looped her arm through his, "Don't be so thickheaded, Leo," she said, smiling sweetly at him.

He looked down at her and sighed, "Don't get too excited, darlin'. I'm fine with living in a dorm," he said, as Jim waited for them outside a building.

They followed Jim up the three flights of stairs and down the hall. The apartment was at the very end, with two other apartments near by.

"The hallway is nice! Everything is clean and pretty, "Andrea said, taking in the oak walls and carpeted floor.

Leo grunted, while Jim rolled his eyes. "Wait until you see the inside!" he said, using the key that they retrieved from the landlord.

Jim unlocked the door and pushed it open, stepping aside to let Andrea and Leo through. Andrea went first and gasped, taking in her surroundings.

"Oh my god.." she whispered, her eyes wide with shock.

Leo and Jim stood behind her and she quickly turned around, "You have to say yes. If you don't move in I will be so mad at you," she quickly said.

Jim laughed, "I told you!" he exclaimed, as he moved towards the open area.

He turned around to face his friends, his arms opened wide. "This is the living room- with the best view of the bridge and San Francisco Bay. The relator said the view at night is spectacular, by the way," he said.

He then moved towards another room, and Andrea quickly followed, dragging Leo behind her.

"Here's the kitchen- with all new appliances. Top notch stuff- which half of it I don't know what it's used for," he said with a shrug.

Andrea took in the huge windows and red-oak cabinets. The countertops were made of grey granite and everything smelled new and begging for use.

"Leooooo, please say yes!" she begged, as he stood with his best poker face on.

"I have to see the rest before I make up my mind," he said, as she squirmed on the spot.

She sighed, "Alright! Jim, please lead the way," she said, waving her hands at him to move.

The next stop was one of the bedrooms on the East end of the apartment, which had it's own bathroom. Andrea was shocked at the size of the room, which was bigger than her own. From the windows you could see the Bay and downtown San Francisco.

"This would be your room, Bones. I figured you'd want to be on this end, away from the street and pool," said Jim, as he leaned against the wall by the window.

Leo stood in the doorway and looked around, "It's alright," he said.

Andrea stepped out of the closet, "Alright? This closet is amazing!" she exclaimed, before looking at Jim. "If he wont move in, then I will," she said.

The rest of the tour led them to the West end of the apartment, which would be Jim's room and bathroom. There was a spacious deck that faced the bridge and bay, along with a washer and dryer. 

"Well, I don't see how you can say no. For that price in rent, this is perfect! And there's enough space to keep you two separated if you want to have peace and quiet," Andrea said, as they stood on the deck.

"See! Did I do good or what?" Jim asked with a grin, pleased with himself.

Andrea smiled and quickly moved back inside to look around more, leaving the two men to talk everything over on the deck. Andrea went back to bedroom and looked around, picturing what it would look like with all of Leo's things placed inside. Twenty minutes later, she could hear Leo coming down the hall.

"Yeah, I'll definitely let you know later tonight. It was good talking to you too. Alright, bye," he said, before stepping into the room.

"Who was that?" Andrea asked, as he slipped his communicator back into his pocket.

"A friend from Georgia," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Oh.. I hope it wasn't a lady friend," she said, nonchalantly.

Leo smirked and she gave him a light push, before settling against him. They both looked around the empty room in silence.

"I think your stuff would look good in here," she said, as the pictured where his things would go.

"You think so?" he asked.

Andrea nodded, "I would put the bed here.." she said, pointing to the windows facing the courtyard. "Then I would put a dresser against the wall by the door, and then a desk in the corner by that wall. You could paint the room in a nice blue or hunter green, and hang all your fancy medical degrees up," she said.

Leo sighed, "Well, I hope you plan on helping me paint," he said.

Andrea quickly looked up at him, "You mean…."

He nodded, "It'll be nice to have separate sleeping quarters," he said, as she jumped into his arms with a laugh.

"When do you move in?" she asked.

"This Friday. And I hope you don't have any plans for the end of the month, because you and I are going on a vacation," he said.

She frowned, "We are? Where?"

Leo put her down, " Georgia. My friend from grade school is getting' married and I need a date. Plus, I figured we could stay at the family beach house and I could finally introduce you to my parents," he said.

Andrea smiled, "I'd like that," she said.

He smiled back at her, "Good. So you better call up Nyota and find a nice dress, because I plan on showin' you off to everyone," he said, giving her a quick kiss.


	8. Chapter 8

"Buttercream Yellow?"

Andrea stood in the middle of Jim and Leo's new living room, holding swatches of paint color in her hand, while Jim sat on the new sofa that arrived earlier in the day.

"What's wrong with yellow? It would brighten up the place!" she said, as she tried to figure out suitable colors for the grand room.

Jim snorted, "I'm a 26 year old man, Andy. This looks like the color of a grandma's sewing room," he said as he tossed the swatch to the side.

Andrea looked at him with a frown, "I happen to like that color," she said.

"Yeah well.. paint your own living room that color," he told her, before standing up.

Andrea huffed, "I tried to but Dad said no," she pouted.

Jim snorted, "The man was right to do so. Now, can you stop standing around doing nothing, and help me unpack these boxes?" he asked.

Setting the paint swatches on the coffee table, Andrea grabbed a box and sliced the tape open. After a mad rush to pack up the dorm and inform the Academy that they would be moving out, the boys quickly moved into the apartment a day early, without realizing that they had no furniture to sit or sleep on. After searching several furniture stores, they managed to find a place that would deliver within two days.

"When does the rest of the furniture supposed to be here?" Andrea asked, as she pulled several PADD's and books out of the box.

Jim unpacked a few bowls and cups, setting them onto the coffee table. "I think our beds are arriving tomorrow and the kitchen table and chairs on Monday," he said.

Andrea nodded, "At least the couches came today. We wont have to eat on the floor tonight," she said.

"Andrea! Can you come here!" Leo shouted from his bedroom.

Pushing herself up off the floor, Andrea headed towards the hallway, stepping over boxes and suitcases.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Jim yelled out, as she disappeared down the hall.

Pushing the door to the bedroom open, Andrea found her boyfriend standing by the windows, trying to put the curtains us. She watched as he struggled with the curtain rod, cursing as they fell apart. She giggled and quickly made her way across the room and at his side.

"Stop. Give me a boost and I'll have these up and settled," she said.

Leo grumbled, handing her the curtain rod and picked her up. Holding her with his arm around her waist, Andrea managed to place the rod onto the hooks within seconds.

"How the hell? You know what, I don't want to know…" he said, placing her down on the floor.

Andrea smirked at him, before shaking the dark blue curtains out; pushing them open to let the sunlight in. Taking a step back, she looked around the room and smiled. It was slowly coming together, with the medical degrees hanging on the wall above the desk and the clothes folded upon the chair and in the opened suitcases.

"Did you decide what you're going to do- as far as painting goes?" Andrea asked, as he dropped down onto the mattress.

He yawned, "I'll do it after we get back from Georgia," he said.

Andrea walked over to the makeshift bed and stood before him, her hands on her hips.

"But you have two weeks before we go," she said, as he pulled her down onto the mattress by the arm.

Landing on top of him, Andrea squirmed in his arms, as he held her tightly.

"Ugh, you're all sweaty!" she exclaimed in disgust.

Leo chuckled, "I've been movin' boxes all day, what'd you expect?" he asked.

Andrea managed to roll off of him and settled beside him, "To not smell so bad?" she asked, while giving him a sweet smile.

"Thanks, Andrea. You know how to make a man feel great about himself," he said, before giving her hip a squeeze. "Nyota said you're already packed for Georgia,"

She grinned sheepishly, "I packed later that night when I got home. Too excited to sleep, so I just threw some things into a suitcase.." she said, with a shrug.

"I'm impressed. I expected the mad rush the night before going. You know, throwin' all the clothes in the bag and being unable to zip it shut," he said.

"I pack light so I don't have to worry about being unable to zip my bag shut. We're going for two weeks, and we'll be on a beach. All you really need is bathing suits and something for bed,"

Leo lifted his head up off the mattress and looked down at her, "So you're telling me that you only packed bathing suits and pajamas for a two week stay? Did you even pack your dress for the wedding?" he asked.

Andrea scoffed, "Of course not! I packed a few clothes in there as well! And my dress is at Nyota's dorm, since you're always at my house. Can't risk you ruining the surprise," she said, smirking.

"Good thing you did, I would've snuck a peek while you were in the bathroom. And I don't know my parents would react if I introduced a half-naked young lady as my girlfriend," he laughed, as she elbowed him.

"Are we staying with them or are they coming to the beach house?" she asked, pushing her hair away from her face.

"My friend's wedding is near the beach house, so we'll get there late the night before and afterwards we'll have the first whole week to ourselves. You, me and no interruptions from anyone. Then we'll see my parents the following week and.." he trailed off.

Andrea looked at him cautiously, "And what? Oh my god, are you related to someone famous? Who? Is it an actor? Is it Meredith Collins from _Romania? _" she asked, excitement filling her voice.

"Who the hell is Meredith Collins and what is _Romania? _God help me if it's another one of those romance movies. I'm still trying to get over the _Titanic _one, after you cried yourself to sleep that night," he said, rolling his eyes.

Andrea pouted, "That's a good movie, Leonard. If anything like that were to happen to us, I'd jump off a lifeboat and back onto a sinking boat for you," she stated.

Leo rolled his eyes, "Too bad you ain't going on a boat in the near future. Besides, you don't even like boats!"

"Whatever. Now who else am I meeting?" she asked.

"Joanna,"

Andrea grew silent at the mention of his daughter, for it was a big step to take. Leo watched as she processed the news, and hoped that she would be fine.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Wont your ex-wife be mad that you're trying to introduce a new woman in her life?" she asked, unsure of what to think.

Leo sighed, "I don't give a damn what Jocelyn thinks and I haven't for nearly four years. I want you to meet Jo and my parents, Andy. I wouldn't ask you to do this, if I wasn't sure of it," he said.

She sighed, "Okay,"

"Okay? You sure you want to meet her? I could call the she-devil now and tell her to forg-" Andrea quickly covered his mouth with her hand.

"Don't you dare call up and cancel. You haven't seen her for god knows how long, and I won't let you call her up and say she can't see her father," she warned.

Leo nodded, "Good. Because I wasn't plannin' on callin' her anyway," he said, resting his hands behind his head.

Andrea laughed, "You're an idiot," she said, resting her head on his chest.

"Be nice, " he said, tickling her lightly as she giggled. He then stopped and grew serious, "Are you sure you're ready for this?" he asked.

Andrea looked at him and nodded, "Yes. I think it's only fair to meet your family, Leo. I'll finally go through what you dealt with while getting to know Christopher Pike as my dad and not as your Captain,"

Leo nodded and she continued, "And anyways, were you going to wait until we got married for me to meet everyone?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

He laughed, "Married? You're really pushing it, Miss," he joked.

"Well, I can't marry Jim now. He's a lost cause, with all the hook-ups being the Captain. Besides, we already established that I'll be carrying your spawns in the future. Daddy wont let that happen if we aren't married. He's old-fashion like that," she said, with a grin.

Leo frowned, "But he wasn't married when you were born," he pointed out.

Andrea scowled, "Fine, I'm old-fashioned when it comes to that stuff,"

"Tell me about it. I'm startin' to wonder if you're even from this time, with your obsession with events from nearly four hundred years ago," he said, yawning.

"Well, one of us has to outshine the other. And that will be me, since I'm the nicer and the prettier one in this relationship," she said.

"Mmmhmm. Whatever you say, darlin'" said Leo, as he closed his eyes.

Andrea yawned, "Should I order take-out?" she asked, as she closed her eyes as well.

"Let Jim do it. I'm tired," he said, wrapping his arm around her waist.

Andrea snuggled closer to him and sighed, relaxing in his embrace. The rest of the unpacking could wait until tomorrow, as well as paint selections and other ideas that ran through her mind.

"We need to buy blinds for the living room," she mumbled, as sleep began to sweep over her.

All she got in response was Leo's snores and she sighed, allowing the darkness to take over and carry her into a dream state.


	9. Chapter 9

**You might want to read Tell Me Something I Don't Know- since it's tied in with this chapter! Enjoy!**

"So you have everything? Stockings, shoes, fancy panties?" Nyota asked.

Andrea was rushing around her room as she made sure everything was in order, before Leo arrived to pick her up. After two whole weeks of helping the boys get situated at their new apartment, the trip to Georgia finally arrived.

"Yes. I have everything in my bag. Just need to put the dress in that thing and I'll be set," she said, as she zipped up her makeup bag.

Nyota took the dress off the hook and slipped into the dress bag, before laying it across the bed. Then she picked up her purse and dug around, until she pulled out a box.

"Don't forget these!" she said, before tossing the box into the suitcase.

Andrea stepped out of the bathroom and set her makeup bag into the suitcase, before spotting the box. She felt her face flush, before picking up the box and looking at Nyota.

"Did you seriously just throw a box of condoms into my bag?" she asked.

Nyota smirked, "After our conversation, I figured I'd save you the awkward shopping trip and buy them for you," she said.

Andrea sighed, "Shouldn't Leo be buying these things? she asked, tucking the box underneath the clothes.

"Um, you said that Leo has no idea that you want to do it. So how should he know to bring them or not?" she asked.

Tossing her hairdryer and brush into the suitcase, she pulled it shut and zipped it. "He doesn't, but do you really think he's not going to slip a few into his own things? I mean, we're going away for two weeks with no interruptions- from my dad or anyone- so I'd be surprised if he didn't go out and buy a box of his own," she said.

"I just think it's weird, you know? How the hell am I going to tell Leo I want to have sex and then whip out a condom for him? I feel dirty just thinking about it," she said, shrugging.

Nyota laughed, "Oh Andy! It's not like you're some random girl looking for a hook up. You're in a relationship with him, and you don't want to risk pregnancy- especially when you're not married and you live with your father at the moment," she said.

On cue, there was a knock on the door and both girls turn to look, as Christopher opened the door. He smiled at both of them, as he leaned against the doorframe.

"All packed?" he asked.

Andrea nodded, "Yup. Just putting a few last minute things in my bag, but overall I'm ready to go," she said.

"Nyota stood up from the bed and walked towards the door, "I'll go wait in the living room to let Leo in, " she said, before disappearing down the hall.

Andrea sat down on her bed, placing her feet on the side of the box spring, as her father walked into the room.

"Excited?" he asked, taking a seat next to her.

She nodded, "Yeah. What about you? Excited to have the house to yourself for two weeks?" she asked.

Christopher laughed, "Two weeks of voluntary silence? Are you kidding? That's a dream," he said.

Andrea gasped, "Dad!"

"I'm kidding! You know I'll miss you," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

There was silence between the two before Christopher cleared his throat, "I know you're responsible- most of the time that is- but I must remind you to be nice to everyone and stay out of trouble," he started.

Andrea looked up at him trying to keep a straight face as her father spoke, though it was hard to do.

"And if you two are planning on doing anything… just take precaution, alright?" he said, as if it were a painful request to make.

Andrea groaned, "Oh my god.." she mumbled.

"Hey, you think I'm comfortable having this kind of talk? It freaks me out, kiddo. I'm a nervous wreck half the time when you spend the night at Leo's apartment," he said.

She leaned over and hugged him, "Daddy, you don't have to worry. He's a proper gentleman who respects me," she insisted.

Christopher sighed, "I know, Honey Bee. But I'm your father, I'm allowed to worry about you," he said.

From the bedroom, Andrea and Christopher heard Nyota open the front door, signaling Leo's arrival.

"She's in her room with Chris," she said, as he thanked her.

Footsteps could be heard coming down the hall, and a few seconds later, Leo stood at the door to the bedroom. He smiled at the two before stepping into the room.

"What? No rushing around with last minute packing?" he asked, as Andrea sat on her bed.

She rolled her eyes, while shaking her head, "I told you I was good," she answered.

Getting up, Andrea went to pull her suitcase off the bed, before stopping and looking at her father.

"I forgot to make dinner! I can't let you starve!" she cried, turning to run out of the room.

Christopher grabbed her by the hand to stop her, "Andrea, it's alright. Spock is coming by after his meeting and both he and Nyota are staying to discuss Starfleet matters," he said, slightly amused that she would delay her departure to make him dinner.

Andrea nodded, "Right. Okay, so you'll be fine. Good. Leo can you grab my bag?" she asked, distracted as a million things ran through her head.

Leo stepped forward and pulled the bag off the bed, amazed at how light it was. "You have two weeks worth of clothes in here?" he asked.

She nodded and smiled, "I wasn't kidding when I said I packed light,"

He carried the bag out of the room, while Andrea draped the dress bag over her arm. She then grabbed her purse and helped her father off the bed, both following Leo out the door.

"So I turned the AC off in my room and locked the windows, that way it's not running all day and we don't have people sneaking in. I made sure to buy enough food and paper goods, so that you wont have to go to the store. Jim said he'll stop by tomorrow to see how you are and to keep you company, and I think Scotty, Pavel and Hikaru will stop by sometime during the week. I also made sure to write down all your meetings and physical therapy sessions down and their in the study on your desk.." Andrea rambled, mentally marking off everything she need to inform him before she left.

Christopher chuckled, "Honey, I have a secretary. You don't need to worry about me, especially when you're on vacation. And I wont starve or skip any sessions with the therapist," he said, as she nodded.

"Just.. humor me, Dad. And if Jim tries to get you to go out to a bar, I set Spock's number on speed dial for your communicator. I told him that under no circumstances is he to annoy you," she huffed.

Leo and Nyota chuckled at the thought of Jim dragging the older man to a bar. If he wanted to keep his title as Captain, he'd do no such thing.

"Andrea, I will be fine. Now, get going. You have a big day tomorrow and I'm sure Leo doesn't want a crabby travel companion," he said, glancing over at the older man.

She nodded, "Right. I'll call you when we get there," she said.

Christopher nodded and pulled her into his arms, "I know you will," he said, before kissing the top of her head.

Andrea gave him a tight hug, before pulling away. "Be good," he said, as Nyota pulled her into a hug.

"Have lots of fun and take pictures! And don't worry about things here, And. We'll be around to keep your dad company," she said.

Christopher went to Leo, "Take care of my girl," he said, holding out his hand.

Leo took it and was taken back by the firm handshake, and the knowing look in the man's eyes. Leo began to wonder if Christopher knew that his daughter was planning on taking their relationship to the next level. Or if Christopher knew that he stopped at the medical building for more condoms, which he shoved into his back pockets.

"I will, Sir," he said, brushing the worried feelings he had inside.

He then pulled the front door open, setting the suitcase on the front step, before turning to watch Andrea give her father another hug.

"I'll leave my car keys with Jim, and he'll bring them back here for you. I made sure to fill the tank up, which should last you two weeks. And Jim is not allowed to take my car for anything, unless someone is dying," she said.

Christopher laughed, "I will make sure he returns the keys. Now get going! It's getting late and you need to eat dinner," he said.

"Jim ordered take-out, which is probably waiting on the table for us. I'll give him five minutes before he starts calling us," said Leo, as he pulled out his communicator to check any messages.

Andrea shifted the strap of her purse on her shoulder and stepped outside, "Don't be a grump when you see the therapist! And be nice to the boys when they come by, since you're only nice to Ny because she brings you cookies,"

Nyota laughed, "It's not my fault you can't master the craft of baking," she said, shrugging.

The girl rolled her eyes, "Just don't over do it with the sugar. He's old as it is, and I don't need him to go into a diabetic coma or something," she said.

"Now she insults my age," her father muttered, as he and Nyota stood in the doorway of the house.

"Gotta start somewhere," said Andrea, as she and Leo started down the walkway.

"I'll see you in two weeks!" her father said, as they walked.

Andrea turned around and waved at him and Nyota, "I love you!" she shouted, as Leo took the keys from her hand.

"Love you too, Honey Bee. Drive safe," he said, before he and Nyota disappeared into the house.

Andrea followed Leo through the parking lot, and loaded her bags into the car, before climbing into the passenger seat. Leo got behind the wheel and started the car, before looking over at with a smile.

"Ready?" he asked.

Andrea pulled her seatbelt on and smiled at him, "Defiantly," she answered, before leaning over to kiss him.

Putting the car in drive, Leo pulled out of the parking spot and drove towards the exit, looking both ways, before pulling out onto the busy street. Andrea looked over her shoulder and watched as the rooftops of the Admiral quarters grew smaller and smaller, before disappearing from her sight, as Leo turned at the corner. With a small sigh, Andrea turned around and faced forward, glancing at Leo who looked at he with a smile. Deep down she knew that her father would be alright, but it didn't stop the thoughts about how lonely he would be.


	10. Chapter 10

True to his word, Jim had dinner waiting on the table, as Andrea and Leo made their way into the apartment. The trio sat around the table and ate, while talking about the upcoming trip and warning Jim to keep Christopher out of clubs and bars. Afterwards, Andrea excused herself and headed to Leo's room, while the boys cleaned up. She took a quick shower and dressed for bed, before grabbing the hairdryer out of her suitcase.

"You done in the shower?" Leo asked, as he walked into his room.

Andrea plugged the dryer into the outlet, "Yeah. DO you need to take one?" she asked, as she stepped into the doorway.

Leo shook his head, "I'll take one tomorrow morning. I don't have to worry about all my hair being dry, like you do," he said, giving her hair a light tug.

She scowled at him before turning the hair dryer on, running her fingers through her hair as it dried. Ten minutes later, she shut the dryer off and left it on the counter to cool off before putting it back into her suitcase. Turning the light off, Andrea walked out into the bedroom and climbed up onto Leo's bed.

"Why didn't you tell me that we'd be on and off shuttles for at least ten hours tomorrow?" she asked, as Leo finished packing his bag.

"I thought you already knew that? You saw the tickets," he said, as he shoved a pair of swim trunks into the case.

Andrea knelt on the mattress, "I did not! You just said that we were leaving here at seven-thirty for a nine o'clock flight, and that we needed to be up by at least five-thirty," she said, pushing his hands away from the clothes.

"I also said that we'd be arriving in Atlanta late tomorrow night," he said, as he watched her neatly fold the swim trunks and placed them on top of his clothes.

She shook her head, "I don't remember you saying that," she said, as she shifted a few items around in his bag.

"I think you have selective hearing, darlin'," he quipped, before yelping in pain as she smacked his arm.

"Oh I do not!' she exclaimed with a frown.

Leo zipped his bag shut and pulled it off the bed and over to the door, "Go say goodnight to Jim. It's getting late and we need to be up early," he said, as he walked across the room to the bathroom.

Andrea hopped off the bed, "It's only ten-thirty! Stop being such an old man," she said, as she stepped out of the room.

Saying a quick goodnight to Jim, who laid across his bed with a PADD, Andrea made her way back into Leo's room and climbed into bed. She could hear the water running behind the closed door, and frowned.

"I hope you're not shaving! I like when you have a scruffy face!" she yelled out, as she slipped under the blankets.

Leo opened the door and stood against the doorframe, a toothbrush in his mouth. She grinned at him and he stood there brushing his teeth, for he did not shave his face after all. He then stepped back into the bathroom and finished getting ready for bed. Turning the lights off, Leo stepped into the bedroom and smirked. Andrea was passed out on "her" side of the bed, the blankets lying just below her waist. Turning the lights off, Leo climbed into bed next to her and made sure the alarm clock was set, before lying down next to her.

The alarm clock's ringing filled the room the next morning, and Andrea pulled the pillow up and over her head. When the muffled ringing could still be heard, she gave Leo a kick to wake him up. A few seconds later, she felt the pillow being ripped away and an arm wrapping around her waist.

"Why'd you kick me?" Leo asked, his voice thick with sleep.

Andrea rolled over and buried her face into the crook of his shoulder, "Mmmh tired," she mumbled.

It was still dark out and Andrea's mind and body were still in sleep mode, though it was slowly fighting its way through the rude awakening. She felt Leo kissing her forehead and she went from being in his arms, to the warm mattress where he laid just moments before.

"I'm getting in the shower and I'll make you coffee when I get out. But try to wake up so we can get movin'," he told her, before closing the bathroom door behind him.

Andrea rolled onto her stomach and pulled the blankets up over her head and fell back asleep, ignoring Leo's request. Twenty minutes later the blankets were pulled off and she could smell the coffee nearby. Feeling Leo's hand on her back, she groaned.

"Come on, Andy. You need to wake up," he said, as he rubbed her back.

"Too early. Not enough sleep," she mumbled, her face pressed deep into the pillow.

Leo rolled his eyes, "You can sleep on the shuttle to Denver and while we wait for the next one to Atlanta. I can't carry you and two suitcases down to the car, so get up," he said, as he got off the bed.

Andrea groaned and lay still on the bed, as Leo went to get dressed and to check on Jim. She could hear Jim talking in the kitchen as Leo made himself a cup of coffee. As she drifted into the beginnings of deep sleep, she jolted awake when Leo came back into the room.

"Dammit Andrea! Get your ass out of bed and get dressed! We're going to be late!" he shouted.

Lifting her head off the pillow she peered at him through the tangled curls that fell in her face, "Don't shout, Leo!" she groaned, before setting her head back down.

She heard him sigh in frustration and the sound of his footsteps on the carpet. Then two hands wrapped around her, and she felt herself being pulled off the bed. Her eyes flew open and she screamed, as Leo threw her over his shoulder and out of the room.

"Leo!"

He set her down at the kitchen table and across from Jim, who was wide awake and eating a bowl of cereal. Let grabbed a bowl from the dish rack and a spoon, before setting it in front of her.

"You have five minutes to eat, and then you need to get dressed and be ready to go by seven-fifteen," he said, before walking back to the bedroom.

Andrea grumbled as she snatched the box of cereal up, "Grumpy pain in my ass," she mumbled, as she poured some cereal into her bowl.

Jim chuckled, "I'm so glad I wont be the one stuck on shuttles with you today," he said, smiling sweetly at her.

"Shut up," she snapped, as she quickly ate her breakfast.

Andrea took her time with eating and getting dressed, while Jim and Leo carried the bags down to her car. As she stood before the bathroom mirror, braiding her hair, she heard Leo in the living room, getting frustrated as she slowly made her way through the morning tasks of getting ready.

"How long does it take to pee, Andrea?" he yelled, as she silently laughed.

"Dude, just chill out! You have plenty of time before the shuttle leaves, and I can get you to the airport in good time," said Jim, watching, as his friend grew impatient.

Andrea slowly made her way out of the bedroom and down the hall to the living room, dressed and ready to go. Leo turned to look at her and scowled as she gave him a sweet smile, acting as if she did nothing wrong in the last hour.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Andrea stood and thought for a moment, "I think so. Let me go see if I left anything behind," she said, as she turned to head back to the bedroom.

"Stop. If you go back into that room, so help me god," he said, as she and Jim laughed.

"Alright! I'm ready to god, your royal grumpiness, " she said, bowing before him.

Leo grumbled and stormed out into the hall, while Andrea and Jim laughed. Jim stayed true to his word, and got them to the airport in twenty minutes compared to the hour it would normally take to get there. He parked the car and helped unload the bags and followed the couple inside.

"So you're going to bring my car back to my house and leave the keys with my dad?" Andrea asked, as Leo checked the bags in.

Jim nodded, "I'll make sure he has them,"

Andrea nodded, "Don't take the car unless it's an emergency. Meaning you or someone we know needs to be rushed to the hospital. And I'm serious, Jim. It's brand new," she warned.

"Andy, just give me the keys," he exclaimed, holding his hand out.

Reluctantly, Andrea placed the keys in his hand, and watched as he pocketed them. A few minutes later, Leo came over to them and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"We have sometime before we need to be at the gate. Do you want to call your dad?" he asked.

Andrea nodded, "Yeah, but I'll do that in a bit. He's probably asleep since it's his day off," she said.

Leo nodded, "Well, we can wait here before checking in," he suggested.

Jim looked down at his watch, "I think I'm gonna go and bring the car back to your house. Besides, I want to annoy Spock today," he said, grinning at the two.

"I guess you do have a death wish," Andrea said, as she gave him a disapproving look

Jim shrugged, "Who else can I annoy? My roommate is leaving me for two weeks and most of my crew is off seeing their families. I can't annoy the Admiral since he can fire me, and Nyota is off limits. So that leaves Spock,"

Andrea snorted, "Have fun with that," she said, shaking her head.

"Be good, Andy. We know how you get when you've had too much to drink," said Jim, as he ruffled her hair.

"Don't be an ass, " she snapped, giving him a light push.

Jim smirked and pulled her into a hug, before giving her a kiss on the cheek. He then gave Leo a one armed hug and a slap on the back, before nodding at him. Andrea frowned at the look the two men shared, and watched as Jim made his way out of the airport, before turning to Leo.

"What was that look?" she asked, as they walked to the security line.

Leo frowned, "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"You know! That weird eye connection you two made?" she asked.

He handed her ticket over to her and shook his head, "I think you're seeing things, darlin'," he said, as they set their carry-on's onto the belt.

"Seeing things my ass.." she muttered.

After passing security, the two made their way towards the gate and sat down on the plush chairs. Leo excused himself to the men's room, while Andrea called home to let her father know that she was boarding the shuttle soon. She was saying her goodbyes when Leo returned, sitting down in the seat next to her.

"Talk to dad?" he asked, as she slipped the communicator back into her bag.

Andrea nodded, "Yeah. He just woke up, too. He wished us a good flight,"

Leo nodded and began fidgeting in his seat watching as people moved towards their designating gates.

"Stop fidgeting, Leo. You're shaking my seat, " said Andrea, as she placed her hand on his leg.

"I'm not fidgeting!"

Andrea rolled her eyes, "Big baby," she muttered, as an announcement came through on the PA.

_Shuttle 1523 to Denver, Colorado is now boarding at Gate 24-C. _

"That's us!" Andrea said, as she stood from the seat.

Gathering their things, the couple made their way over to the growing line and waited as tickets were checked for boarding. Once Andrea and Leo handed their tickets over, they made their way down the tunnel and onto the shuttle, taking seats in the back. Storing their things under their seats, they buckled up and waited as a few more passengers got on.

"I'll hold your hand if you're that scared," Andrea said, as Leo peered out the window.

He turned and glared at her, "Would you stop babying me?" he asked.

Andrea snorted, "I'm sorry, Leo. If you were that afraid of flying, we could've drove to Georgia," she said.

He rolled his eyes, and sat back in his seat. "I'll be fine once we're in the air," he said, as the shuttle started.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll give you an hour before you're cursing at everyone when we hit a pocket of turbulence," she said, as the shuttle took off.

"And I'll give you ten minutes before you're passed out and quite," he shot back.


	11. Chapter 11

After a long day of traveling, Leo and Andrea arrived in Atlanta around ten o'clock that night. Both were moody as they waited for their bags and went to the car rental desk, snapping at each other along the way. Fifteen minutes later, Leo had the bags in the trunk of a rental car and both were in their seats, buckled in and ready to go. It would take roughly four hours to get from Atlanta to Savannah, which Andrea disliked.

"Can we at least get something to eat? I'm starving," Andrea asked, as Leo took the exit to the highway.

"We can stop in a little bit. I want to get out of Atlanta before the late night partiers start coming home," he said, as the car moved from one lane to another.

Andrea groaned, before lying back in her seat. She then looked out the window, watching as cars whizzed by them, weaving in and out between the lanes. The air was cranked up to the max, as Andrea felt uncomfortable in the summer heat, despite the fact that it was only seventy-five degrees outside.

"Can I at least turn the AC down?" he asked, reaching over to the console.

"You touch it, and I will smack you silly," she snapped.

Leo sighed, "Andrea, it's not even eighty degrees out! And San Francisco is just around the same temperature right now," he exclaimed.

Andrea shot him a withering glare and it quickly shut him up, as he turned his attention back to the road. Closing her eyes, Andrea felt herself relax in the seat, as the sound of the air conditioner and cars put her to sleep. When she woke up a few hours later, there were hardly any cars nearby.

"What time is it?" she asked, sitting up in the seat.

"It's three-fifteen," said Leo, as he turned down a dark street.

Andrea stretched her arms out in front of her and rolled her neck, cracking the stiff joints. She then peered out the windows, taking in the darkness around them.

"Where are we?" she asked, turning to look at him.

Leo turned the car into a driveway, the headlights shining on a garage door. Cutting the engine off, he turned to look at her, and she could see how tired he was. She suddenly felt bag for falling asleep, as he drove for hours, when she too could've taking a shift.

"We're here."

They quietly got out of the car, careful to not wake any of the neighbors up, and dragged their bags out of the car. Making their way up the stone steps, Leo opened the mailbox by the door and pulled a set of keys out, before pulling the screen door open. As Leo unlocked the door, Andrea stood on the bottom step and looked out at the street. A few outside lights were on, but everything else was in total darkness. No streetlights, which were everywhere at the Academy, lined the streets. Andrea could hear the waves from the beach, which was a few feet from the house they'd be staying in.

"Go inside, I'll get the bags," Leo said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Andrea moved past him and into the house, fumbling for the lights. Once she had them on, she held the screen door open for Leo, as he dragged their bags in, leaving them in the front hall. Andrea walked into the open space of the living room, taking in the rustic interior of oak and stone. There was a large fireplace on one side of the room, and a stack of firewood near it.

"It's very southern," Andrea said, as she turned to face Leo.

He laughed, "You should've seen it years ago. My granddaddy had stuff bear heads or whatever animal he'd hunt, mounted to the walls. After he died my mother went and removed every animal he had in the house,"

Andrea shuddered at the thought of preserved animal's used for decoration, and thanked the heavens that she wouldn't see any lurking in a corner. She then let out a yawn, and heard Leo coming up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him.

"Let's go to bed. We gotta get up early tomorrow and one of us needs to look good," he said, kissing the side of her head.

She smiled and he led her up the stairs and down the hall to the master bedroom. Too tired to run back down to grab clean clothes, Andrea stripped down to her underwear and climbed into the big, comfy bed and slipped under the sheets. She'd planned on taking a shower before bed, to rid the smell of shuttles and airports, but found it impossible to get out of bed. A few seconds later, Leo joined her, shutting the light off by the bed and snuggling next to her. Within a few seconds, both were out cold and distant to the outside world.

The next morning, both were up and downstairs searching for food. Andrea knew that one of Leo's friends came by early the day before, to stock their cabinets and fridge with the basic necessities. Figuring that they would eat a lot at the reception, Andrea made a pot of coffee and settled on a bowl of cereal while Leo settled with fruit. Afterwards, Andrea went to take a shower, while Leo called his parents to let them know they'd arrived earlier that morning.

"Make sure you call your dad to let him know we're here. I don't want to get an angry call from him later," Leo said, as he headed into the bathroom.

Noting the time difference, it was only five in the morning in San Francisco, and Andrea knew her father would still be asleep. Instead of calling, she sent a quick message to let him know that they were in Savannah and getting ready for the wedding. Setting the communicator to the side, Andrea dressed in a pair of cotton shorts and a loose shirt. It was still too early to get ready and an hour of relaxation wouldn't hurt. She towel dried her hair until it was damp, and left it down to air dry.

Leo came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, dressed only in a pair of sweats. Tossing the towel into the hamper, he made his way across the room and sat down next to Andrea.

"Left a message.. it's early over on the west coast," she said.

Leo nodded and they both sat quietly on the bed, staring at each other. Andrea wasn't sure if it was due to the Georgian heat or the lack of physical contact that caused her to jump him, tackling him down on the bed. Andrea quickly found herself on her back, as Leo pinned her down on the bed, moving his lips from her mouth to her neck. She gasped as his hand moved under her shirt, his warm hands moving up her sides.

Just as she was about to open her mouth to speak, the doorbell went off, ringing throughout the house. Both stopped moving and looked at each other, breathing hard and slightly disheveled.

"Just ignore it. They'll go away," Andrea begged, as she pulled him down for another kiss.

The doorbell went off again and this time the interruption at the door, began to knock. Andrea let out a groan, running her hand down the side of her face.

"Really? Of all the possible times to interrupt, it's now?" she exclaimed.

Leo chuckled, "Better now then later. Besides, you don't want to start something that you can't finish," he smirked.

Andrea scowled, "I'll remember that for later," she snipped, as he sat up on the bed.

"I'll go see who it is. You should start getting ready, anyways. It's almost eleven and we need to be at the church by one,"

She sighed, "Fine."

Leo gave her another kiss before getting up off the bed and heading out towards the stairs. Getting up, Andrea made her way over to the dress bag that Leo hung up on the back of the bedroom door and pulled it down. Frustrated at the interruption, Andrea realized that it was for the best. Sex was something that she couldn't rush to finish, especially since it would be her first time. Carrying the bag into the bathroom, she shut the door behind her and plugged in the hair dryer.

They had two whole weeks to do it, so there was no rush. As she turned the dryer on, running her fingers through the damp curls, Andrea hoped the next time wouldn't end abruptly. Jim wasn't kidding when he told her that sexual frustration was bad.


	12. Chapter 12

Andrea was in the process of putting her makeup on, when someone knocked on the bathroom door.

"Are you dressed?"

Setting the mascara down on the counter, Andrea pulled the bathroom door open and smiled as Leo stood on the other side of the door. She was still dressed in her shorts and shirt, as her hair laid in loose curls down her back

"I just need to finish my make-up. Don't want to get my dress dirty," she said, grinning.

He laughed, "I'm gonna get dressed out here and I'll meet you downstairs," he said, before kissing her quickly.

As he walked towards the closet, Andrea leaned against the doorframe and watched as he pulled his clothes out.

"Who was at the door?" she asked, as he carried his things over to the bed.

Leo looked back at her, "The lady next door. She saw the car and didn't recognize it, so she wanted to see who we were," he said.

Andrea laughed, "Oh no, I hope she doesn't bother us during our stay," she said.

"Don't worry, I scared her off. Told her my girlfriend had a mean punch and was prone to violent sleepwalking," he said.

She gasped, "You did not!" she cried, as he laughed.

Leo shook his head, "No, but I told her that I was here with my girlfriend and she quickly excused herself back to her house. Never saw someone walk so fast," he said, smirking.

Rolling her eyes, Andrea closed the bathroom door and continued with her makeup. When Leo shouted that he would meet her downstairs, she quickly put her makeup away and started on her hair. Pulling part of her hair up, she slipped a dragonfly comb into the curls and left the rest of her hair, tumbling down her back. Changing into lacy undergarments, Andrea pulled the long summer dress made of chiffon and silk, which was a pale lilac, out of the dress bag. Slipping it over her head, she zipped up the side and took one last look in the mirror. Smoothing down the front of her dress, Andrea pulled the door opened and made her way across the room for her shoes and clutch.

Slipping her stocking-clad feet into the shoes, Andrea grabbed her clutch and the matching shawl and made her way out of the room and down the hall towards the stairs. Leo was standing in the kitchen, when she appeared in the doorway. Clearing her throat, he turned around and took in her appearance, his eyes traveling from her head to her toes.

Whistling as he made his way towards her, he grinned. "Look at you," he said, reaching out to take her hand into his.

Andrea smiled, "Do I look decent?" she asked as he turned her around to get a better look at her.

"You look more than decent," he said, as he pulled her close. "Sexy. Beautiful. Gorgeous.. I could go on and on, darlin'" he said, before kissing her.

She was blushing when he pulled away, "You know how to make a girl weak in the knees," she smirked.

"I try my best," he said, before letting her go. "We better get the show on the road, if I'm going to show you off to everyone," he said.

Grabbing the keys off the table, they both made their way outside and into the car, before driving off to the small church, which sat twenty minutes west of the beach. Andrea was amazed at the brightly colored dresses and large hats that the women wore, as they walked along the sidewalk leading up to the church.

"You didn't tell me I needed a hat," she said, tearing her eyes away from the women to look at Leo.

He laughed, "You don' t have to wear a hat, Andrea. It's not a required item for a wedding, just something that women like to wear when they go to church," he said, parking the car.

Andrea nodded as she unbuckled her seatbelt, feeling slightly out of place with everyone else. It would be obvious to Leo's friends that she wasn't part of this society. She wasn't a southern belle, but a Californian beach bum who only wore a hat when suffering from bad sunburn or during the winter in New York. Leo helped her out of the car and held her hand as they followed the other wedding guests towards the church. Stepping inside, they made their way to an open pew, and sat down.

Leo pointed out the people he knew and told her funny stories about them, memories from high school or medical school. As he was telling her about some mishap in chemistry class, a very tan and blonde man came over to them.

"Is that Leonard McCoy?" he asked, his voice piercing Andrea's ears as he spoke.

She saw the brief look of annoyance flashing across Leo's face, before he quickly disguised it with a smile.

"Bobby Hempson. Didn't recognize you!" he said, standing up to shake his hand.

Andrea couldn't believe how orange the man looked, as the coral shirt clashed horribly along with the bleached hair. His attention went from Leo to Andrea, and she could see the curious, yet ugly look in his eyes, as he eyed her like a piece of meat.

"And who might this pretty lady be?" he asked, laying the charm thick on her.

Leo looked down at Andrea as she stared at Bobby, trying to mask her dislike of the man. "Andrea Pike, this is Bobby Hempson. Bobby, this is my fianceé," he said.

Andrea quickly looked up at Leo, before nodding. "How do you do?" she asked, looking back at the moron before her.

She could've sworn that he grew pale at the mention of fiancé, and he quickly nodded. "I'm good. Anyways, I better get back to my seat. Ceremony is about to start and well.. it was good seeing you, Leonard!" he said, before quickly making his way down the aisle to his seat.

Leo sat down and smirked while Andrea looked at him, "Fiancée?" she asked.

He shrugged, "What? Had I said girlfriend, he would've gone after you later, tryin to steal you away," he said.

"But if word got back to your parents that you brought your "fiancée" to a wedding, they'd be pretty pissed that you didn't tell them you were engaged," she pointed out, knowing how her own father would react.

Leo sighed, "Don't worry about them, Andrea. Besides, you're eventually going to be my fiancée anyways. I was serious when I said I wasn't giving you up for anything. You're stuck with me,"

She smiled, "Good thing too. I don't know if I can tolerate another man and I honestly can't picture any other woman dealing with you and your mood swings," she said, before turning her attention back to the alter.

He was about to respond when the sounds of the wedding march picked up, and everyone stood as the bridesmaids came down the aisle. Thirty minutes later, Loretta and Thomas Holcombe were pronounced as husband and wife and made their way up the aisle and out of the church, their wedding party following after them.

"When you and I get married, I don't want a big wedding like this. My ass is sore from that bench," she said, as they made their way down the steps.

Leo wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "Good, cause I can't go through another round of what colors look good with centerpieces and what music they should play as you walk down the aisle," he said.

"You know, you got lucky with me. Not to brag, but I am the easiest person to please," she said, as they made it to the car.

Unlocking the doors, Leo laughed at her statement. "Sure you are, darlin'. Just like you threw a fit when Jim knocked painted the window stills orange, which clashed with the green walls," he said, as they got into the car.

"What? He did that on purpose and you know it," she said, buckling up.

Leo started the car and pulled out of the space and followed the line of traffic that would lead them to the reception, "Actually, I paid him thirty bucks to do it," he admitted.

Andrea looked at him, "what?" she asked, frowning.

He glanced over at her before looking back at the car in front of them, "I wanted to see how long it'd take you to notice that the stills weren't white.. I said you'd notice right away and Jim said it'd take you at least an hour.." he said.

"And who, may I ask, won?"

Leo snorted, "I did, obviously. You have some type of radar that picks up on anything that's out of place. It was only natural that I'd win the bet," he said.

Andrea grumbled and sat back in her seat, as Leo droved them to the reception hall. Once they were parked and inside, Leo held true to his word, as he introduced her to his friends. Most were nice and curious about her, while others simply stated the obvious fact that she was a "young little thing,", much to her annoyance. Before leaving San Francisco, they agreed on telling everyone that she was twenty-one, even though it was perfectly legal for a thirty-two year old man to be in a relationship with an eighteen year old. But Andrea didn't want anyone ragging on him, about how he was dating a teen and Leo didn't want anyone being rude and spiteful to Andrea, questioning her motives as to why she was with Leo.

"So, tell us how you met!" Lucy said, as she sipped her champagne.

After re-telling the events of what happened during that horrible mission to save Vulcan- while leaving out a few details like her father being the Captain and now Admiral of Starfleet- everyone at the table knew exactly how they'd met and when they started dating. As Leo chatted with Lucy's husband, Alex, Andrea and Lucy became fast friends.

"You seem to have a strong taste for vintage fashion, "Lucy said, as she eyed the dress on Andrea's small frame.

Andrea nodded, "I do! I've been fascinated with the lifestyles of the early 1900s and the Hollywood era of the 2000s. I made my father buy me this huge book on fashion history when I was eight, during a trip to Los Angles. Then he got me all these movies- very old classics and this epic blockbuster type movies- and I studied every single detail. From historical events, to how people walked, talked and dressed," she said, before sipping her water.

Lucy nodded, "You remind me of this actress who was very popular during the 1990's and 2000s. Kate Winslet I think her name was. God she was gorgeous and she was very talented. I kind of wish she had herself cryogenically frozen or something.." she said, shaking her head.

"I absolutely love her! Leo think's I'm obsessed and always says that if she were alive during this time that I would leave him for her!"

Both girls laughed, "I don't blame you. I love my husband, but I would never say no to her if she were to ask! Lucy said, giggling into a napkin.

"What's so funny?" Leo asked, as he and Alex turned to look at the women.

Andrea and Lucy glanced at each other, "Nothing. Just girl talk, darling," Andrea said in her best British accent, as she picked up her glass with such delicate care.

Lucy snorted into her napkin, turning her head away from Andrea and the boys. Both Leo and Alex looked at each other, before shaking their heads and continuing their conversation. Andrea and Lucy huddled together and giggled throughout dinner, before the band started playing. After a few spins on the dance-floor and the cutting of the cake, Andrea and Lucy were back at the table, while Leo and Alex headed to the bar for drinks.

"This is Madison, my eldest. She's six and a half and quite a riot, bless her heart," Lucy said, handing a photograph over to Andrea.

The little blonde hair- blue-eyed girl in the photograph smiled up at Andrea, as she clutched a stuffed rabbit in her hands.

"She's beautiful!" Andrea cooed, as she handed the photograph back to Lucy. 

"Thank you! And this is Richard. He's only seven weeks old.." she said, handing her another photograph, this time of a small infant in the arms of an older woman.

"Seven weeks? My god! I couldn't even tell that you just had a baby, Lucy! You look amazing!" she exclaimed.

Lucy waved her hand, "Oh please. I'm all strapped in with spandex and a heavily padded bra so I don't leak everywhere,"

Andrea laughed, "So, do you and Leo have children?" she asked, slipping the photos back into her wallet.

"No, not yet. I know he has Joanna from his first marriage," she said, as Lucy reapplied her lipstick.

"Have you met her yet?" she asked, glancing over at the younger woman.

Andrea shook her head, "Not yet. Her mother is dropping her off on Sunday and we have her all next week,"

Lucy tucked the tube of lipstick back into her purse and smiled, "She's quite the pistol, Joanna. Drives Jocelyn up the wall everyday, which I find hysterical. She's just like her daddy- same looks, personality. Even the temper," she said.

Andrea let out a nervous laugh, "Well, I guess I'm in for a rough week," she joked.

At that moment, Leo and Alex returned with drinks, setting them down on the table. Alex took the vacant chair next to Lucy and quickly got up to head out on the dance floor leaving Andrea and Leo alone at the table.

"Having fun?" Leo asked, as he took a sip of his drink.

Andrea nodded, "You?" she asked.

Leo nodded, "I think you made a new friend," he said, smiling.

"Lucy is wonderful ! Did you know she had a baby seven weeks ago? She looks good for someone who just popped a baby out," she said, shaking her head.

"I honestly didn't notice, darlin'. I had my eyes on another pretty lady," he said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

Andrea blushed at his words, before picking up her drink. Leo leaned over and kissed the side of her neck and she sipped slowly, trying her best not to spill a single drop onto her dress. Then she set the glass down and looked at him, before kissing him.

"Do you want to get going?" he asked, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

She nodded, "Can we?" she asked.

"We sure can," he replied.

Gathering their things, Andrea scribbled her number onto a napkin and placed it on Lucy's bag and they quickly made their way across the reception hall, saying goodbye to Leo's friends as they went. They dashed out of the reception hall and quickly got into the car, before driving off, leaving the party in full swing.


	13. Chapter 13

Upon returning to the house, Andrea raided the liquor cabinet and found a unopened bottle of Southern Comfort. Then, with little persuasion, she managed to pull Leo out the back door and down towards the water. They passed the bottle between themselves, as they walked along the surf.

"Don't get washed away!" Leo said, as Andrea walked into the water, stopping when she was knee deep.

Andrea laughed as another wave pushed against her, causing her to wobble as she pulled the skirt of her gown up. After a few minutes, she turned and walked back up the shore, clutching the soaked bottom of her dress. Leo sat on the sand and watched as she made her way towards him, her creamy legs exposed from the thigh down.

"Are you going to share?" she asked, nodding to the bottle he shoved into the sand.

Leo looked down at it and shrugged, "I think you had a little too much, darlin'" he said, as she climbed onto his lap, her legs on either side of him.

She grabbed the bottle and unscrewed the top, "We're on vacation. And I think you drank most of this," she said, giving the bottle a little shake, before taking a small sip.

"This is the good stuff. None of that champagne crap they were servin'" he said, before taking the bottle from her.

Andrea laughed, "Better slow down, Cowboy. I need you alert and sober," she said, as she took the bottle and screwed the top back on.

Pulling his trademark eyebrow raise, Leo looked her over. Her hair was down around her shoulders, the curls blowing in the cool breeze. Her face was flushed from the alcohol and the walk down the slopped beach, and her eyes twinkled.

"Do you now?' he asked, placing his hands on her sides.

Andrea nodded, "Mmmhmm. It's too early for bed," she whispered, as she kissed him.

Leo already knew that since it was only eight, and the sun had gone down twenty minutes earlier. He suddenly felt nervous, as Andrea pulled away and looked down at him. He knew that she wanted to take their relationship to the next level, and the conversation he had with Jim the night before they left, ran through is head.

"_Look, whatever you do.. don't freak out on her. If she really wants to do this, then do it. It would suck if you rejected her, because you were too chicken shit_"

She was ready and willing to go and Leo started to feel awful and perverted, being so much older than her. Even though she was of legal age, he still felt like he was committing a crime, taking the last thing that connected Andrea to her girlhood. Andrea kissed him again, erasing every single negative thought from his mind.

"Andy…" he breathed, as she rested her forehead against his.

"Put your hands on me, Leo.." she whispered, as she moved closer to him.

"You sure?" he asked, pulling back to look at her.

Andrea nodded and smiled softly at him, "Yes. I'm sure,"

She then climbed off him and stood, waiting for him to pull himself off the ground to join her. Just as she was about to start the long walk back up to the house on foot, Leo swept her off her feet and carried her the entire walk. He didn't put her down until they made it through the backdoor, up the stairs and into the bedroom.

_Hours Later~_

Andrea made her way across the living room, a bed sheet wrapped around her bare body. She climbed over the pillows and blankets that laid across the floor in front of the fireplace. Pulling the sheet up to her knees, Andrea got down on the floor and laid against Leo. He turned his attention away from the fire and wrapped his arm around her.

"Feelin' alright?" he asked, as she rested her head against his bare chest.

She nodded, "Yeah. A little sore, but that's normal I guess," she said, looking up at him.

Leo nodded, "First couple of times will leave you like that.. but it'll get better," he said, getting into his doctor mode.

Andrea grinned, "How much better can it get? Because I'm pretty blown away by what we did for the last what? Five hours?" she asked, giggling.

He rested his hands on her hip and lightly tickled her, "I think we've done it more this one time, then I ever did my entire marriage," he said.

"Poor baby," she cooed, as she pulled him on top of her.

Leo groaned, "Again? Aren't you tired yet?" he asked, as she lightly kissed his collarbone.

Andrea looked up at him, "What? You're tired?" she asked, slightly shocked that he was turning down sex.

"Andrea, I'm old. Unlike you, I need to recharge my batteries before going at it again," he muttered.

"Really? Because I think someone is ready for another round," she said with a coy smile, as she reached down between their bodies.

Leo jumped at the touch of her hand wrapping around him and the smirk on her face, as he groaned.

"One more round and then bed. I'm serious too, because I don't think I'll be able to stand tomorrow," he said, grabbing a condom off the coffee table.

Andrea giggled, "Funny, it should be the other way around," she said, sitting up.

Leo shook his head, "I could just forget about it and we can go to sleep…" he said, placing the foil packet down.

She quickly shook her heard, "No! I promise, we can go to sleep as soon as we're done! Please Leo! Please!" she begged, clasping her hands together.

"If I got you beggin' for sex right now, while we're alone, I can only imagine what you're gonna be like when we get home. We're gonna have to sneak around your dad and Jim," he said, moving back over to her.

A half an hour later, Andrea was passed out on the makeshift bed of couch cushions and pillows, as Leo got up to use the bathroom and get something to drink from the kitchen. Turning the lights off and locking the front door, Leo made his way back into the living room and over to where he and Andrea spent most of the night. The fire was still burning in the fireplace, having died out a tad bit over the hours. He set the safety gate up and moved the blankets and sheets away from the area, tossing a few onto the sofa.

He then took a small throw blanket and wrapped it around his waist, before grabbing another blanket to cover Andrea. He then stood and watched as she slept deeply; exhausted from the physical activity she endured all night. Slowly, he crept away towards the stairs and went up to the small office down the hall from their bedroom.

Sitting down at the desk, he set up a video link call and hoped it went through. After a few minutes, Jim appeared before him, wearing his glasses and holding a PADD in one hand, looking extremely tired. But a huge grin appeared on his face when he saw that it was Leo calling.

"Well, you finally decided to call!" he smirked, setting the PADD down on the desk, before sitting down.

Leo rolled his eyes, "I figured you'd still be up, never got the chance to call last night and today was the weddin'" he said, scratching his head.

"What time is it there, in good ol' Georgia?" Jim asked.

Leo looked at his watch, "It's a little after three," he said, yawning.

Jim nodded and then frowned, "Are you naked?" he asked, a look of disgust taking over his face.

"Dammit Jim," he muttered, as the younger man laughed.

"Dude, when I said call me, I figured you'd do that while wearing clothes. I thought you were in Savannah, Georgia.. not the Savannah desert," he said.

"I'm disconnecting the link," Leo said as he reached out to end the call.

"Relax old man. I'm just busting your balls, and you know it. Now, what's going on over there?" Jim asked, as he sat back in his seat.

Leo shrugged, "Nothin' really. Left the reception early and came back to the house.. " he said, with a shrug.

Jim rolled his eyes, "Boring. Can't you call me with some awesome update? You know, like a fight broke out between the maid of honor and the bride, because they were both screwing the groom? Hearing about how you two are like an old married couple isn't something I want to hear, Bones. I see it on a daily basis when you two are here,"

"Well, I figured it would give you some inspiration to find a lady to settle down with. You know, someone who can deal with your bullshit. I can't be your victim all the time," Leo snapped, making Jim laugh.

"Ahh Bones, you'll always be my ship-wife. Can't find anyone who will tolerate my bullshit. Just be glad I don't require sexual favors from you…" he said, as the older man shook his head.

Then Jim's eyes went wide, "Oh my god. You guys totally had sex! That's why you called me! Dude, how come I don't hear Andrea at all? Did you knock her out? And why the hell do you look like you haven't slept for days?" he asked, concerned.

Leo shook his head, "She's sleeping downstairs, Jim. And yes, we had sex,"

Jim grinned, "Well, was it worth the wait?" he asked, smirking as Leo blushed slightly.

"Let's just say… my girlfriend could potentially be a nymphomaniac," he said, sighing.

"I guess you wont have to go on your daily run anymore," Jim said.

Leo shook his head, "Guess not. I think my chances of having a heart attack went up though, Jim. I'll be walking funny tomorrow, that's for damn sure.

The reply he received in return was Jim's laughter, as the younger man fell off his chair


	14. Chapter 14

**Not the best chapter.. but I've been feeling pretty blah today. Especially as the day went on D: Anyways, I posted a OS for my character in **_**Heartlines **_**earlier today, just a heads up for those who are reading that one as well! **

The next morning, Andrea woke up to the sound of rain hitting the roof of the house and the smell of food. She felt a slight chill and realized that she was lying on her belly, the sheets bunched around her waist leaving her back exposed. She sighed before closing her eyes, wanting to sleep a little longer.

"And? You awake?"

Andrea groaned, pushing her face into the pillow under her head. She felt someone step around her, before a warm hand touched her back.

"Come on, baby. I made you breakfast, " Leo said, as he gently rubbed her back.

"Mmmmhmmm, I'm tired," she whined, rolling over to look up at him.

He smirked, "You should've listened to me, but you were all about going one more round," he said.

Andrea glared at him and he patted her arm, "Come on, food's gonna get cold if you just lay here," he said, standing up to head back into the kitchen.

Letting out a sighed, Andrea pulled the sheet up under her arms and sat up, only to let out a cry. Leo came rushing back into the livingroom, to find Andrea with her knees pulled up to her chest, her hands resting on her lower abdomen.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked, quickly kneeling down in front of her.

Breathing heavily and biting down on her lip, Andrea let out a groan as she lifted her head.

"What did you do? You broke me!" she cried, as she squeezed her thighs together tightly.

Leo sighed, "How bad?" he asked.

"God if feels like I've been rammed with a red-hot poker!" she cried, as the pain ripped through her pelvis.

"Arms up," he ordered, which Andrea quickly did.

Carefully, Leo scooped her up into his arms and stood up, carrying her upstairs and into the bathroom. Setting her down on the bathroom counter, Leo went to the tub and filled it with warm water. Letting the water run, he turned around and removed the sheet and tossed it in the hamper. He then took notice of the bruises on her thighs and her hips, and he suddenly felt awful.

"Oh Andy..I'm sorry, "he said, as she looked down at the marks.

She shook her head, "Don't be…" she insisted, despite the pain she felt running through the lower half of her body.

Leo shook his head, "I was too damn rough with you…" he said, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"But I was the one that told you to go faster.. don't beat yourself up over it. Think of it as your way of marking me," she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

Leo sighed, "I'm gonna have to fight you off me, huh?" he asked, as he pulled her off the counter.

Andrea hissed as she made her way over to the tub, slowly getting in with Leo's assistance. Sinking down into the scalding water, Andrea let out a sigh, resting her head against the porcelain.

"What? After finding out how amazing sex is, you think I want to stop or do it once in a while? Hello no, " she laughed, her eyes closed.

Leo chuckled, "I'll let you relax and when you're ready to come out, I'll set a plate up for you, " he said, as he made his way out of the bathroom.

Andrea sat in the bath for a half hour, until the water ran cold and goose bumps covered her skin. Pulling the plug out of the drain, she slowly got out of the tub and wrapped a fluffy towel around her, before heading into the bedroom to dress. Looking out the window and the storm clouds and the angry sea, Andrea felt a chill run down her spine and decided on sweatpants and a sweatshirt over a tank. Making her way downstairs, Andrea could smell the food and felt her stomach clench with hunger pains.

Stepping into the kitchen, she spotted Leo by the stove putting a plate together for her. He heard the chair dragging across the floor and turned to look at her, as she sat down at the table.

"Okay, I'm starving and I think you should bring me a plate of whatever it is you've cooked!' she said, patting her hands on the table.

Leo smirked, "Bossy lil' thing, aren't you?" he asked, as he went back to fixing up their food.

They ate breakfast at the small table, which Andrea found delicious, and afterwards cleared the plates into the sink and moved back into the living room. They cleared the blankets and pillows off the floor, placing them either on the couch or in the wicker basket near the closet door.

"I feel like I've gained twenty pounds now," Andrea said, as she plopped herself across Leo's lounging body.

He let out a grunt, shifting underneath her as she laid still on top of him. After shifting around, he finally found a comfortable position and wrapped his arm around her.

"Just twenty? I was thinking thirty.." he chuckled, which turned into a yelp as she jabbed him on the side.

Reaching behind, Leo grabbed the remote off the side table and handed it to Andrea, before placing his arm behind his head. She clicked the television on and skipped through the channels before settling on the 1939 classic, _Gone With the Wind. _Andrea set the remote down and snuggled against Leo, letting her body relax against his.

"You know.. the lead actor in this film reminds me of you," she said, as the movie started.

"Because I'm a Southerner?" he asked.

"That and because you're very.. tall. Tall, dark and handsome," she yawned.

"Then I guess that makes you Miss O'Hara- except your much nicer and you're not so shrill when you scream," he said, making her giggle.

They lasted less than an hour, before passing out on the sofa. When Leo woke up many hours later, the television blaring and the rain coming down in buckets outside. Reaching for the remote, he quickly muted the noise and looked down at Andrea, who laid across his body, her limbs sprawled out. Carefully and quietly, Leo extracted himself from underneath, and laid her back down on the sofa, grabbing a blanket to cover her.

He went to the bathroom and afterwards, went to find something to make for dinner. As he searched through the cabinets, Andrea shuffled into the kitchen, half asleep and grumpy.

"What are you doing?" she asked, standing next to the table.

"Trying to find something for dinner.. I have to feed you right?" he asked,.

Andrea mumbled, "I don't want to eat anything. I'm thirsty and I want to go back to bed," she whined.

Leo sighed, "So get some water and go upstairs for bed,"

She frowned, "Why are you being so.. grumpy?" she asked, as she moved to the dish rack.

Picking up a clean glass, she turned the tap on and filled it, before taking a huge gulp. Placing the glass in the sink, Andrea turned around and watched as Leo moved through the kitchen.

"I hungry and tired.. my back is killin' me from the damn couch," he snapped, as the cabinet doors slammed shut.

Andrea rolled her eyes, "No one said you had to take a nap on the couch, Leo,"

Leo looked over at her, "Yeah well, no one said you had to sleep on top of me either,"

"You know what, Leo? You can sleep on the fucking couch tonight! I'm going to bed!" she yelled, pushing away from the counter and running out of the kitchen.

He heard her feet stomping up the stairs and the slam of the bedroom door, which echoed throughout the entire house. He sighed, hanging his head down in defeat. Forgetting about dinner, Leo slowly made his way back into the living room and threw himself onto the couch. He turned the television off and sat in total darkness, as the storm outside raged on. After a few minutes, he pulled himself off the couch and went upstairs.

"No, I don't know.. I guess so…. No, I'm alright Ny, we just have bad tempers,"

Leo figured she would have a vid-chat with Nyota, since it was something girls did if something went wrong. Quietly and slowly, Leo opened the bedroom door and watched as Andrea sat on the bed with the portable vid device. She too sat in darkness, with a small amount of light coming in from the bathroom.

"You two need to just sleep and wake up tomorrow refreshed and take on the new day. I'm sure all that traveling and being out all night caught up to you both, and you two just need to get a good nights rest. You're on vacation!" Nyota's voice filtered through the room.

Andrea sighed, "I know. I guess I should probably go downstairs and tell Leo he can sleep up here. I mean, it's house anyway, so I can't tell him that he's not allowed up here," she said.

"Well, you better get a move on. Because knowing you, you'll end this call and pass right out,"

Andrea giggled, "I'll call you tomorrow. If you see my dad, tell him I'll call him back tomorrow,"

Both girls said their goodbyes, and Andrea turned the device off, placing it on the night table. She then stood up and started around the bed, only to stop in her tracks.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asked, as Leo leaned against the doorframe.

"Not long.. " he said.

She nodded, "I was going to come get you.."

Leo nodded, "I know,"

They both stared at each other in silence, as the thunder started and the bolts of lightning lit up the night sky.

"Come to bed?" she finally asked, biting her bottom lip.

Leo grinned and pushed away from he doorframe and made his way over to the bed. Andrea climbed up onto the mattress and settled down against the fluffy pillows, her body relaxing against the soft mattress. The bed shifted as Leo sat down on his side, sliding under the cool sheets. He sighed with pleasure, as his body relaxed after a spending the previous night on the living room floor and the couch.

Andrea rolled over and settled closely next to him, her head resting on her arm.

"Sorry for being bitchy," she said, looking up at him.

Leo pulled her against him, wrapping his arm around her waist. Andrea immediately rested her head against his chest, her legs tangling with his.

"Sorry for being a grumpy old man," he mumbled into her hair. "Now get some sleep, tomorrow should be a nice day and I want to take you out," he said, as she drifted off into a slumber.


	15. Chapter 15

The rest of the week went by quickly, filled with exploring the city and nights filled with passionate lovemaking. Andrea fell in love with the little beach house on the southern coast, picturing what life would be like to live there all the time. When Saturday rolled around, Andrea went into a full-blown panic, cleaning the house and making sure everything was ready for Joanna's arrival the next morning.

"Why are you washing windows?" Leo asked, as he found his girlfriend in the kitchen.

"Because I don't want your daughter breathing in dust?" she asked, as she knelt on the countertop, a wet rag in her hand.

Leo chuckled, "Andy, she's six. And the windows aren't that dusty," he said, making his way over to the counter.

Andrea dropped the rag and sighed, "I just want everything to be perfect," she said, turning to sit on the cold countertop.

Placing his hands on either side of her hips, Leo pulled her close to the edge of the counter. "Everything will be perfect, Andy. Joanna won't even know the difference if the curtains are crooked or a speck of dust is sitting on the table," he said.

She sighed, "I just want her to like me.." she said, feeling defeated and tired of trying so hard.

"She'll love you, darlin',"Leo insisted, as she looked up at him. "Besides, she'll be relieved to spend a week with two people who don't scream and threaten' each other all the time," he said, sighing as the image of Jocelyn screaming and hollering at him filled his head.

Andrea nodded, "Well, I think we should head to the store to get some food. It's getting late and I need to do some laundry and get her room together," she said, hopping off the counter.

After stocking up on child-friendly food, Andrea ran around the house cleaning left and right. She made sure there were enough clean towels and a fresh set of sheets on Joanna's bed as well as a spotless living room to play in. She cleared out the trash bins in the bathrooms and kitchen, making sure that any evidence of what her father and his girlfriend were doing the week before, could never be found. Afterwards, Andrea spent three hours making cookies and other things that a six year old would enjoy, much to Leo's amusement.

"Why are you making so much? Half of this will go bad by the time we leave," he said, snatching cupcake off the counter.

"Those are for Joanna! And I'm making them because I want to!" Andrea exclaimed, as she iced cupcakes left and right.

Working diligently, Andrea lost track of time as she baked and cleaned, making sure everything was set for their guest. As she put the clean dishes away, Leo came into the kitchen.

"Baby, you're still up? It's three-thirty in the morning," he yawned, as she moved about.

"I'll be up in a second. Go back to bed," she said, as she threw the empty cakemix boxes out.

Leo sighed, "Leave it for later. You're going to look like a zombie if you don't get any sleep," he said, as she went to grab a sponge.

"Leo, it'll take two seconds to clean the counter off," she insisted.

"Andromeda, get upstairs and get your ass in bed. Now!" he snapped, as she held the soaking sponge in her hand.

She looked at him for a moment, before nodding and setting the sponge back into the sink. Shuffling past him, Leo turned the light off and followed her up the stairs and into the bedroom. Just as she climbed into bed, Andrea remembered the towels she placed in the wash.

"I have to put towels in the dryer!" she cried, getting ready to jump out of bed.

Leo grabbed her by the waist, "Nope. Leave 'em. Tomorrow's another day," he mumbled, as he held her tightly.

Andrea struggled for a moment, before giving up, settling against him. As the day's worth of work and running around finally hit her, Andrea fell asleep within minutes. It wasn't until the harsh alarm from the clock that woke her up at eight-thirty, that she was pulled out of a deep slumber. Leo was up and in the shower within minutes, as she slowly made her way out of bed and downstairs to make coffee. They both spent the morning cleaning up-mostly Andrea doing the hard work- before a car pulled up outside.

Nervous, Andrea waited in the kitchen as Leo went to the front door. Her stomach was in knots and her palms were sweaty, as the doorbell clanged. She heard the front door open, and watched as Leo bent down to scoop the little girl up.

"Daddy!"

Leo laughed, "Jo Jo! Look at you! You've gotten bigger since I last saw you" he said, as she pulled away.

The little girl laughed, "I'm six!"

"Are you now? I could've sworn you were at least.. five," Leo said, as she giggled.

Andrea watched their interaction with a small smile on her face. From what she could see, Joanna was an adorable little girl, with short dark hair and sun kissed skin. She wore jean shorts and a simple t-shirt, with a pair of ratty tennis shoes on her little feet.

"Where's your mama?" Leo asked, standing up to look outside at the street.

"She's home. I took a yellow car here, all by myself!" Joanna said, as she held her fathers hand.

"You took a cab here? By yourself?" he asked, looking down at her.

Joanna nodded, "Yeah! And the man was nice!"

Leo cursed, grabbing her duffle bag that sat on the front step. Closing the front door, Leo led Joanna into the kitchen, where Andrea waited. When Joanna finally saw her standing by the counter, she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Daddy, who's she?" she asked, pointing to Andrea.

Leo set the duffle bag on the table and smiled, "Jo, this is Andy. She's my friend," he said, picking the little girl up into his arms.

Joanna looked from her father to Andrea, who waved shyly at the little girl. Andrea waited, nervously, as the girl studied her. Mentally, she laughed at herself for being so nervous as a six year old judged her. But this wasn't just any six year old. This was her boyfriends' child- the light of his life and half of his DNA. If Andrea didn't sit well with Joanna, it would be a big issue.

Finally Joanna smiled at her, "You're pretty,"

Andrea let out a deep breath, oblivious that she was even holding it in, making Leo chuckle. He set Joanna down and pulled the chair out.

"How about you two talk, while I call your mother?" he suggested, as Joanna sat down at the table.

As Leo disappeared upstairs to exchange a few choice words to his ex, Andrea and Joanna had a staring contest in the kitchen.

"Would you like something to drink? Water? Juice?" Andrea asked, squeezing her hands into fists to control the shaking.

"Can I have water?" Joanna asked.

She nodded, "Of course you can!" she said, grabbing a glass from the dish rack.

Once it was full, she set it down in front of the little girl, and watched as she sipped it slowly.

"I made cupcakes if you'd like one," Andrea said, as she stood awkwardly against the counter.

Joanna's eyes lit up and Andrea couldn't help but smile, "You did? I love cupcakes!" she squealed.

Andrea couldn't help by laugh, before picking up the plate of cupcakes she set up. She carried them over to the table and set them down, before pulling a chair out to sit in. As they both ate a cupcake each, they muffled yelling could be heard from the office upstairs.

Biting her lip, Andrea was tempted to take Joanna out onto the back porch.

"Mama and Daddy always yell at each other.." Joanna said, looking down at the cupcake wrapper.

Andrea looked at her sadly, "Was it always like that?" she asked.

Joanna nodded, "Yeah. That's why Daddy left. Mama told him to get out and never come back," she said.

"_Dammit Jocelyn! You put her in a cab by herself? It's a four hour drive to Savannah!" _ Leo shouted.

"Well, don't you worry about yelling. The only noise that will fill this house is laughter," Andrea said, reaching over to pat Joanna's hand.

The little girl, with bright blue eyes, looked at her. "Really?" she asked, cautious of this stranger that sat across from her.

Andrea smiled, "Really. When your daddy told me you were coming to visit, he wouldn't stop smiling. We're going to have a lot of fun this week! Now, how about we get our swimsuits on and go down to the beach? The water is nice this time of the year," she said.

Joanna nodded and smiled, "Okay. Do you have suncream? Mama forgot to buy it before I left.." she asked, looking embarrassed.

"I've got you covered, Joanna," said Andrea, as she stood from the table. "I made sure your Daddy had everything in the cart before we left the store," she said, leading the little girl up the stairs to her room.

"You know.. you're really nice. Daddy never finds nice lady friends and Mama says it's because he's always puttin' his foot in his mouth," she said, before skipping into her bedroom.

Andrea couldn't help but laugh, as she followed in after her.

"He does say some silly things, but unlike his other lady friends, I find him funny. Especially when I make him watch old movies and he grumbles.." she said, setting the duffle bag down on the edge of her bed.

Joanna giggled, "Daddy always grumbles. He sounds like a bear in the woods," she said, unzipping her bag.

"That he does.." Andrea muttered, as she opened the windows to let the ocean breeze in. "Now, I'll let you get changed and when you're ready you give me a shout. I'll be down the hall and after, we'll tell your Daddy and he'll meet us on the beach," she said.

Joanna nodded, "Don't forget the suncream!" she said, as Andrea made her way out of the room.

"I won't!" she smiled, before closing the door behind her.

Letting out a sigh, Andrea quickly went to the other bedroom and changed into one of her many swimsuits, before slipping a cover-up on. Then she made her way down the hall to the office, slowly pushing the door open.

"You're unbelievable! She's six years old, dammit! You can't just send her off on her own, Jocelyn! What if something happened?" Leo snapped, as he paced the office.

Andrea stood quietly in the doorway and watched as he listened to the screaming on the other end of the phone. She winced when she heard the _"Go to hell, Leonard!" _and the dial tone. She suddenly felt bad for Joanna, who spent most of her time with her monster of a mother. Leo sighed in defeat, before turning to see his girlfriend in the doorway.

"You okay?" she asked, stepping into the room.

"Yeah. I don't know why I bother fightin' with her. Never means a damn thing," he said, as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Don't say that, Leo. It means you're fighting for Joanna. To make Jocelyn understand that you're not going anywhere.. no matter how hard she tries to keep Jo away from you.." she said, giving his arm a squeeze.

Leo sighed, nodding. "You're right. But she put a six year old in a cab on her own.. " he started, before she placed her fingers on his lips.

"I know. And she's insane. But you can't let that ruin your time with Joanna. If you do, then she wins,"

"How did you get so smart?" he asked, giving her a light squeeze.

She smirked, " A lot of books and television," she said, getting him to chuckle. Then she shrugged, "I'm a product of a broken relationship too, Leo. Except my Mother never made the effort to contact me. She just up and left without a word. At least Joanna has someone fighting for her," she said.

Leo nodded and took notice of her new attire, frowning. "What happened to your clothes? I hope you're not here for a quickie while my kid sits at the kitchen table," he teased.

Andrea rolled her eyes, "We're going to the beach, smartass. Now, I expect you dressed and downstairs in five minutes. If not, then there will be no desert after dinner and no playtime after the children are put to bed," she warned, before pulling away.

Leo watched as she left the room, looking over her shoulder once to smile at him. With a laugh, Leo pushed himself way from the desk and headed down the hallway to the bedroom. His hands would be full that week, with his two girls teaming up against him for equal amounts of attention. And for once, he didn't mind.


	16. Chapter 16

The first day with Joanna went surprisingly well, despite the mild temper tantrum she threw after dinner which Leo took care of with a "no desert and off to bed" conclusion. The next morning, as Andrea made breakfast in the kitchen, Leo and Joanna were up in her room having a "talk" as Leo put it. Just as she set the freshly toasted slices of white bread onto a plate, Andrea heard the two coming into the kitchen.

Turning around, she smiled at them both. "Good morning, Jo!" she said, as the little girl looked on nervously.

She looked up at Leo, who nodded and she let go of her father's hand and made her way over to Andrea.

"I'm sorry for actin' up last night, Andy," she said, pouting.

Andrea couldn't help but smile, as she knelt down in front of the little girl. Leo stood by the table, watching his girlfriend and daughter, a smile growing by the second on his face.

"It's fine, Jo. We had a long day and we were both a bit crabby, huh? Besides, I was a little mean to your Daddy last night after you went upstairs," she said, as the little girl looked up with wide eyes.

Andrea nodded, "Yup! Didn't you hear the loud thump? He said I was being a big baby when I told him he was hogging all the blankets. So I gave him a kick and he fell right out of bed,"

Joanna giggled, "Daddy was mad at you too?" she asked, amazed that her own father would be anything other than happy with the woman.

"Yeah he was.. but he apologized after he hit his big head on the floor. Don't tell everyone, but he's the biggest baby out of everyone," she whispered.

Leo snorted and rolled his eyes, though he was pleased that they were getting along perfectly well.

"Say, how about you give me a hand with breakfast? I could use some help with cracking the eggs," Andrea said, as Joanna bounced on her heels.

"Oh! I wanna do it! Can I?" she asked, looking from her father to Andrea.

"Sure you can, kiddo. Just don't make a mess," Leo said, as he went to the fridge to get the carton of eggs out.

Andrea dragged a chair from the table over to the counter, and helped Joanna up. She then took the carton from Leo with a smile, and set it down next to an empty bowl.

"Now, make sure you don't get any of the shells in. We don't want crunchy eggs now, right?" Andrea asked, as Joanna took an egg out of the carton.

"Ew, no crunchy eggs!" Joanna squealed, as she lightly cracked the egg on the rim of the bowl.

While the two girls cracked the eggs, Leo made himself a cup of coffee before starting the bacon up on a frying pan. As he cooked, he glanced over every few minutes, and watched as the two giggled and whispered to each other. He couldn't help but smile at the scene before him, grateful that they got along so quickly. Once the food was done, the trio sat around the table on the patio in silence, enjoying the early summer morning and the sound of the ocean.

"So, are you and my Daddy getting' married?" Joanna asked, as she pushed her messy hair away from her face.

Andrea nearly spat her orange juice out, while Leo coughed on a piece of toast. Joanna looked at them with a small smile on her face and a giggle escaping her mouth, as they both blushed at the question.

"She cuts right to the point, huh?" Andrea asked, as she glanced at Leo.

"No JoJo, we're not getting married," Leo said.

The small was erased from the little girl's face, "You're not? But why?" she exclaimed, looking between her father and Andrea.

"Oh, it's not that we're never getting married Jo. We haven't…" Andrea started, looking to Leo for some help.

"Relax Jo. Andy and I have only been datin' for almost a year," he said.

The girl nodded, looking down at her plate. An awkward silence filled the table, and the two adults shot worried looks at each other, before watching the six year old. Joanna then looked up at them and placed her elbows on the table, looking right at Andrea.

"Are you going to give me a brother or sister? I'd kinda like to have a sibling by the time I'm nine,"

Andrea couldn't help but laugh at Joanna's request, doubling over in the wicker chair. Joanna frowned, watching as her father patted Andrea on the back.

"Oh Joanna.. you're a pistol," Andrea finally sputtered out, as she sat up in her seat.

Joanna frowned, confused by the saying, before speaking again. "Well, are you? Because I want one!"

"Joanna Elizabeth!" Leo scolded, as Andrea placed her hand on his arm.

"It's alright, Leo. I think it's good that Joanna is telling us what she wants!" she said, looking at her boyfriend.

Leo sighed and shook his head, while Andrea smiled at his frustration with his demanding daughter. She then turned to the girl across from them and smiled, before answering her questions.

"I have to finish school before we get married, Jo. Like your Daddy, I'm going to be a doctor, helping people in space. As for siblings, well, that's going to be up to our work schedule and how long we're up in space for. But I'd love to give you a sibling or two, maybe a brother and a sister," she said, as Joanna smiled.

"Daddy you better marry her. She's wants to give me sibling's!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together with excitement.

Leo grabbed his cup of coffee, "Lovely. Now I got two ladies demandin' for more things" he muttered, before draining the contents of his glass.

After breakfast, once all the dishes were in the washer, Joanna went upstairs to take a nap. Andrea tossed the dirty dishtowels into the wash, along with the bath towels, and made her way upstairs to the master bathroom. Leo was lounging across the bed, when she came into the room and shut the door behind her. Leo looked up at her and gave her a lazy smile. Pushing the lock in, Andrea padded across the carpeted floor and climbed into the bed, straddling his lap.

"So… your daughter really wants for you to marry me," she said, running her fingertips up his chest.

Leo chuckled as he grabbed her hips, "And she wants me to impregnate you before she's nine.."

She snorted "Well, you better not do it anytime soon. I still have a year and half left of studying before any baby comes out of this body," she said.

"And I gotta put a ring on that finger first. Can't have the Admiral bustin' my door down," he grinned.

Andrea smiled, "I can't believe she really likes me this much. I was expected the evil eye and lots of plotting to get rid of me," she said.

Leo laughed, "Oh please. How anyone could dislike you is beyond me, darlin'. You're the poster child of a perfect future step-mother," he said, wrapping his arm around her.

"I can't believe I'm not even in my twenties yet, and I already know that I'll have a step-child.." she said, shaking her head.

"Freak you out?" he asked, as she tapped her fingers against his chest.

"A little. But it's nice," she said, shrugging. "Jo will have a lot of influence from two women in her life. Old school versus new school, you know?" she asked.

"Jocelyn is gonna have to keep both eyes opened. I can only imagine the trouble you two will get into," he said.

"Oh hush. I'm not that bad," she said, smirking.

Leo rolled over so that she was on her back, pinning her arms above her head.

"Yeah, yeah. Now how about we have some adult time, while the kid sleeps? All this baby talk got me in the mood for some fun," he growled, kissing her neck.

Andrea giggled, "We need to be quite so she doesn't wake up!" she warned, as his hands slipped under her shirt.

"Then you better hush up, since you're the one that makes all the noise," he said, before capturing her lips into a deep kiss.


	17. Chapter 17

The next few days went by without any issue, as Joanna got used to the new woman in her father's life. The trio spent their days either in town or on the beach, enjoying each other's company. To the people they passed on the streets, they looked like the picture perfect family, two parents and their lovely daughter.

"You have a beautiful daughter!" a woman told Andrea, while she and Joanna went to a fruit market in town.

Andrea didn't have the heart to tell the older woman that Joanna wasn't hers, and returned the kind smile and gave her a simple thank you.

It was now Friday, and the dreaded family dinner was finally here. Andrea woke up with knots in her stomach, and spent the entire morning cleaning the house from top to bottom. It took physical restraint from Leo, as he ripped the dirty rag and bottle of cleaner, to keep her from cleaning anything in the house.

"Why are you making yourself crazy? We're going to their place, And. If you scrub the table any harder, you'll put a hole right through it," he said, as he stored the cleaning supplies under the sink.

They had a small lunch out on the deck, and while Leo checked for news from home, Andrea tried to pry any information out of Joanna about her grandparents. But the little girl was no help, as she giggled at Andrea's nervousness and simply went up to her room to play.

By six-thirty, they were all showered, dressed and ready to take the forty-five minute drive to Leo's childhood home. Andrea consumed two glasses of wine, hiding in the food pantry as she did so, before they left. During the car ride, she felt flushed and semi-relaxed, as she sat in the font seat. Joanna talked the entire way there, which lulled her into a daydream, as she stared out the window. When they finally arrived, it took both Leo and Joanna to pull her out of a haze.

"You okay?" Leo asked, as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

Andrea nodded quickly, "Yup! Never better!" she said, giving him a reassuring smile.

Joanna quickly ran up the stone steps to the house, while Leo and Andrea followed slowly behind.

"Careful Jo!" Leo called out, as the child ran.

The front door opened and Andrea could see a tall blonde at the door and the sounds of Joanna squealing. Andrea squeezed Leo's hand and he looked down at her, giving her a reassuring smile.

"It's gonna be fine, darlin'. They'll love you," he said, as she smiled nervously.

When they finally reached the door, the woman was kneeling on the ground, hanging on to every single word that came out of Joanna's mouth.

"Hey Momma," Leo said, causing the woman to look up.

She smiled and stood up, "Leonard! I'm so happy to see you!" she exclaimed, pulling her eldest child into a tight hug.

"Grandma! This is her!" Joanna said, tugging on the woman's crisply pressed, black slacks.

When Leo's mother finally looked at her, Andrea noticed that the light in her eyes that she had for her son and granddaughter, dimmed. There was an awkward silence as she scanned Andrea from head to toe.

"Momma, this is Andrea. Andrea this is my mother, Mary Louise," Leo said, as he wrapped his arm around Andrea's wasit.

Andrea managed to smile, "It's nice to meet you,"

Mary Louise held a firm smile and nodded, "Likewise.." she stated, before pulling a million watt smile on her face. "How about we go inside for some tea? I'm sure your father would like to see you, Leo," she said, as Joanna ran into the house.

David McCoy was a true southern gentleman and welcomed Andrea into the family immediately. While they spoke, Andrea couldn't help but notice this disapproving look on Mary Louise's face as she watched her. When dinner was finally ready, they all sat around the grand table and the usual dinner conversation began.

"So, Leonard here wouldn't stop gushin' about a lil' lady, when he called up a few weeks ago," David said, as bowls and platters moved around.

Andrea blushed, "I hope it was all good things," she said.

David laughed, Well, after hearin' how you and my lil' Jo got along so well, I say he picked a good one!"

Mary Louise picked up her wine glass, "So, how did you and Leonard meet?" she asked, before taking a sip.

Andrea glanced at Leo before turning to look at his mother and father, "We met at the Academy.. what was it, the first day I think?" she asked.

Leo nodded, "Literally knocked her down, too. Andrea is training to become a doctor onboard the _Enterprise. _She's a close friend with our Captain, Jim.." he said.

David smiled, "Well ain't that somethin'. Two doctors! I hope you're handwritin' is a lot nicer than his!" he joked.

Andrea laughed, "It is. Which is shocking to so many people, when I do write anything out for them,"

Joanna looked at her father and made a face at him, which he returned, sending her into a fit of gigges. Mary Louise looked unimpressed by the entire thing, and continued to shoot questions out left and right.

"So, you're friends with the Captain. How.. interesting.."

The small smile fell from Andrea's face, and she looked down at the china before her. Leo cleared his throat, seeing what his mother was trying to do.

"Jim's been a good friend to both of us, Ma. He's the annoying younger brother I wish I had,"

"Speaking of younger, how old are you Andrea? You look a bit young for a doctor.." she said, smirking

Andrea felt her face flush and she felt Leo's hand on her thigh, giving it a light squeeze. Joanna on the other hand was completely oblivious to what was going on and she spoke.

"Andy's young! She's going to college while daddy goes to space! Then they're gonna get married and give me a sibling when she's done!"

David cleared his throat while Mary Louise clutched the stem of her wine glass. Andrea felt her heart stop as she focused on the saltshaker in front of her plate, while Leo stiffened next to her.

"Jojo you seem to know a lot darlin'" David said, laughing awkwardly.

Andrea quickly jumped into action, "Oh no! No! I just took sometime off from the Academy due to a family emergency. I'm just taking an art class for fun!" she said, telling half the truth.

Joanna frowned, "I thought you were learning about animals and their…what's it called daddy? Their biological lineup?" she asked, scrunching her face up in confusion.

Leo closed his eyes, "Makeup, honey. Biological makeup," he said.

"Well, how interesting. So, you're taking classes outside of the Academy. And when you're finished with them what ship will they put you on?" Mary Louise asked, trying to keep her cool.

"Daddy's ship! Andy said her daddy approved it!" Joanna said, completely unaware of what she was doing to her grandmother and her father, as well as Andrea.

"You're father?" David asked, confused.

Andrea sighed, "My father works for Starfleet…" she said, giving a small shrug.

Joanna nodded, "He's super important too! He saved them both during an attack!"

"Joanna, maybe you should go in the livin' room to watch some cartoons," Leo said, trying to quiet her down.

Joanna shook her head, "No! I wanna stay in here with you guys!" she exclaimed, before turning her attention to her grandparents.

"Andy's daddy is like Mr. Roland. He tells everyone what to do and where to go and he's going to be my grandpa too!"

Mary Louise let out a mix between a muffled shriek and sob, while Andrea placed her head into her hands.

"Your father is a Captain as well?" David asked, genuinely interested.

Andrea was too stunned to speak so Leo did for her, "He was, until the attack on Vulcan. Jim took his place and now he's the Admiral,"

"Oh god.." Mary Louise muttered, grabbing the bottle of wine to refill her glass.

"That's wonderful! You must be real proud of him Andrea!" David said, as his wife shot him a withering look.

Andrea could only nod, glancing towards Leo. She placed her hand on his knee and gave it a light squeeze, as if it was her way of telling him how sorry she was at that moment. Joanna was bouncing in her seat, smiling at the adults around her.

"I can't wait for the weddin'! Can we have it here, Grandma? " she asked.

Mary Louise forced out a smile and set her napkin on the table, before standing up.

"How about we settle down on the back porch? Joanna, I think you'll find some vids upstairs in the playroom to watch, while the grownups talk.." she said, glancing at her grandchild.

Joanna nodded and quickly jumped down from her chair, racing out towards the staircase and up into the room.

"Leonard, why don't you and your father head outside while Andrea and I clear the table off?" Mary Louise asked.

Andrea dug her nails into Leo's thigh, causing him to clench his jaw and grab her wrist.

"How about I help you two? That way you can show me all the hard work you two put into redecoratin?" he asked.

"We'll be fine, dear. Besides, Andrea and I can have some girl talk!" she said, turning her gaze to the young woman next to her son.

Andrea gulped and nodded quickly, before putting a smile on her face.

"You go ahead, hon. I'll be fine!" she said, as Leo shot her a worried look.

Mary Louise smiled sweetly, "Good, then it's settled! Now, off you go!"

David stood from his seat and Leo did the same, as Mary Louise grabbed a few plates and stormed off into the kitchen.

"Don't worry, Andy. She'll cool her jets," David said, giving her a warm smile.

All the young woman could do was blink and give a quick nod, before looking up at Leo.

"If you need me, you shout. Scream and brake a plate if you have to, and I'll come rescue you," he said, as she stood up on shaky legs.

"Okay…" she said, nodding quickly.

Leo kissed her quickly on the forehead, "I love you, darlin'," he whispered.

"I love you, too.." she replied, as she set the napkin down on the table.

"Andrea! Could you bring some more dishes in here please?" Mary Louise called from the kitchen.

David and Leo made their way out to the back porch, and Andrea stacked a few plates together. Taking a deep breath, she picked them off the table carefully and made her way through the dining room and through the kitchen door. The night would only get worse from that point on.


	18. Chapter 18

Leo unlocked the front door to the house with the keys in one hand, while holding Joanna in his other arm. Stepping into the house, he carefully set her down and ruffled her hair.

"Go brush your teeth and get into your jammies, Jojo. I'll be up in a little bit to tuck you in," he said, as the girl rubbed her tired eyes.

Joanna made her way up the staircase without a glance back, and Leo sighed. Meanwhile, Andrea stood in the open doorway of the house, watching as he went into the living room. She shut the door and kicked her heels off, leaving them in the middle of the hall. She then followed after Leo, watching as he went to the liquor cabinet and dug around. Pulling out a dusty bottle of what she assumed was whiskey, he poured himself a glass and quickly threw it back.

"Leo…" she started, before falling silent.

"Why is it, that every time we try to take a step forward.. something always happens?" he asked, as he turned the glass around in his hand.

She cleared her throat, "You make it sound like we're always off to battle,"

Leo looked up at her, "We are, Andrea," he snapped, watching as she flinched. "Now I got my mother hollerin' and accusing me of takin' advantage of an underage woman! Now I gotta deal with the endless amounts of calls I'll get from the rest of my goddamn family!" he snapped.

"So it's my fault that she hates me? I was polite to her, Leo! I didn't say a goddamn word when she insinuated that I was sleeping with Jim, because he's the CAPTAIN. I sat through her muffled shrieks and sobs as Joanna spilled the beans on eve-"

"DON'T! Don't you even think about blamin' Jo for this!" he yelled.

"I wasn't! I was fucking relieved to be honest! I figured the news would be better from a six year old, because she's so goddamn cute and innocent- and who could become a vicious monster to a six year old and their happiness?" she snapped.

Leo shook his head and she continued, "I was polite to her until she insulted ME, my father and you!"

"You take things so goddamn personally! Like everyone is out to attack you!" he shouted.

Andrea gasped, "So you'd rather I sit there and let her drop all those accusations? That I'm this little whore, who supposedly slept with Jim and is only sleeping with you so I can get far in my career? Are you fucking drunk or stupid, Leo?" she snarled.

"All you had to do was just tell her that it wasn't true!" he shouted.

She laughed bitterly, "Oh god, and where would that have gotten me? Like she would fucking believe me anyway! You saw how she looked at me when we reached the front door! Like I was this gold-digger, ready to snatch up whatever you possessed!"

Leo pinched the bridge of his nose and she continued, "All I wanted was for you to defend me! Instead you left me there to fend for myself! If you loved me, you would've stopped her!" she exclaimed.

"I would've handled it, Andrea! But you kept runnin' your fucking mouth! You don't know my mother like I do!"

"AND THANK GOD FOR THAT!" she screamed.

A silence fell between the two, as they stared each other down, breathing heavily.

"You know what? You are so goddamn spoiled, Andrea! You pull the whole "My mother abandoned me and I was raised by my father, so you have to understand why I am the way I am" bullshit. But how long do you expect that to work? Huh? Your father spoiled you every goddamn day of your life. You expect everythin' to come easy without any consequences," he said, shaking his head.

Andrea watched as he ranted on with shock, "I can't even say that you're an adult and to act like one, because your still a teenager! You're a fucking child half the time! And then you're slightly intoxicated, when I bring you to meet my parents, which is so fucking ridiculous and out of line! How the hell can I prove to everyone that you'll be a suitable parent in Joanna's life, when you act like this?"

She blinked, allowing the first set of tears to roll down her face. "Well.. if that's how you feel, then I'll just go. We can just end this now and I'll go," she said, nodding quickly.

Leo let out a frustrated sigh, "Dammit Andy.." he muttered.

She shook her head, "It's funny though. How you finally got to fuck me and now your throwing all of these things at me. I guess you got what you wanted. I guess I'm just another fucking notch on your bedpost. Now you and Jim have something in common- you're both assholes who once they get their way, feelings don't matter," she spat, before storming past him and out the back door.

Leo watched through the window as she stormed down the back steps and onto the beach, disappearing from sight into the darkness. With a frustrated growl, he threw the empty glass against the wall and made his way upstairs. He walked past the bedroom he and Andrea shared and went down to Joanna's, pushing the door open quietly.

Joanna was sitting up in her bed, holding her doll, when he stood in the doorway. She looked up and practically glared at him, for she had heard every single thing.

"You're still awake?" Leo asked, as he made his way into the room.

"Why are you yellin' at Andy?" she asked, as he sat down on the edge of her bed.

Leo sighed, "We weren't yellin', Jo. We were havin' a conversation," he said.

Joanna stared at her father and shook her head, "Momma's right. You really are an asshole sometimes," she stated, bluntly.

"Joanna Elizabeth! You watch your mouth!" Leo scolded, as the little girl continued to glare at him.

"You are! Andy didn't do nothin' wrong! Grandma was bein' mean to her for no reason! She said she did things with that Jim guy, but I know she didn't!" she insisted.

"Joanna.. you're six,"

"So? Just because I'm six, doesn't mean I'm stupid. Now she's going to leave and she wont be my step-mommy and give me siblings because she hates us both!" she sobbed.

Leo quickly pulled her into his arms and held her, "Oh Jo.. she doesn't hate you, baby. She's just mad at me and your grandma," he said, as Joanna sobbed.

"Then fix it! She makes you happy! Momma never made you smile and laugh as much as Andy does!"

Leo felt as if someone ripped his heart from his chest, because it was true. Shortly after Joanna was born, things went south between himself and Jocelyn. All they did was fight or placed painfully fake smiles on their faces when Joanna was around. The thought of Jocelyn made him curse mentally, because he knew that she would call either tonight or first thing in the morning. There was no doubt in his mind that his mother called her up, to let her know that a young woman was staying with her ex-husband and daughter. A woman that was in a serious relationship with Leo and already had Joanna expecting siblings and a step-mother.

"Try to get some sleep, Jojo. It's been a long day," Leo said, as she laid down against the pillows.

"Will you keep Andy from leavin'?" she asked, as he tucked her in.

"I'll try, kid. Now get some sleep," he whispered, as he turned the lights off.

Quietly, Leo made his way out of the room and closed the door behind him. Exhausted, he made his way back down the hall towards the stairs, when a noise from the bedroom stopped him. Taking two steps back, Leo went to the door to the master bedroom and pushed it open. Andrea was moving around quickly, grabbing clothes, shoes and personal items, and tossing them into a suitcase. He could see that she had been crying, for she had black tear streaks on her face. Every few minutes she would stop, clutching an item of clothing or a shoe to her chest and sob, before snapping out of it and tossing the item into her case.

"What are you doing?" he asked, startling her.

She turned around to look at him, before moving back to her task.

"Leaving,"

Leo moved into the room, "No," he said, and she turned to look at him. "You're not goin' anywhere," he said.

"Yes I am. I'm going home, Leo. Enjoy the rest of the weekend with Joanna and tell her that I'm sorry," she said, zipping up the case.

"You wont be able to get a flight this late at night, Andy. The airport stops taking shuttles in at ten,"

She turned around, "Then I will sit outside and wait until morning!" she snapped, as she dragged the heavy case across the floor.

Leo grabbed the case as if it was nothing and carried it towards the bathroom, throwing it in. Andrea gasped as it hit the bathtub, and watched as Leo locked the door and closed it.

"You're not leaving and that's final," he said, as she stood rooted to the spot.

"Now you want me to stay? God you are unreal, Leo!" she huffed, pacing the floor.

He looked at her sadly, "I never wanted you to leave in the first place," he whispered.

Andrea glanced at him quickly and looked down at the floor, "You said it yourself, Leo. I'm just a spoiled child with no goddamn filter. What's a man like you gonna do with someone like me? Your mother hates me and I'm sure she'll have Jocelyn on the phone with you by breakfast, yelling about how I'm a bad influence to Joanna. So basically, I just lost you your rights to see her I guess…" she ranted.

Leo stepped forward and grabbed her, "Do you remember what you told me? The day we left for the mission?" he asked.

She blinked, "Do you? Because I do, Andy. You said that nothin' would come between us. Not here and not in space. And I believe it, too. So if you think I'm gonna let you walk on out, then you're insane. I'll lock you up if I have to Andromeda. So help me god, I will," he said.

Her eyes filled with tears, "You can't keep doing this, Leo. You can't just say awful things and then expect me to fall right back into your arms!" she exclaimed.

"And you need to realize that everything isn't like one of your movies. We can't be a real life Rhett and Scarlett or those other two that met on that damn boat. This is real life, Andrea. You can't expect people to like you right away and for everything to be fine and dandy.."

"So let me go. If you think I don't know the difference between what is real and what is fantasy, then let me go," she said, shaking her head in defeat.

Leo scoffed, "Are you drunk? Or insane? I am not letting you go, Andy. You're stuck with me until the day I die. We're practically married if you look at it in a logical way," he said.

Suddenly Andrea giggled, despite how serious the entire conversation was between the two.

"Logical? Since when did you start following Spock's motto?" she asked.

Leo shrugged, "I figured it wouldn't hurt to think like him. Everyone else seems to do it, except for Jim,"

Andrea shook her head, "What are we going to do Leo? It's not fair to you if your family gives you grief for dating me. Especially when you want to marry me and start a family. I don't want Joanna being subjected to whispers and chatter about how her father married a woman half his age.."

"First thing tomorrow morning, I'll call my mother and tell her to back off. I'm not scared of her, Andy," he said.

Andrea rolled her eyes, "Could've fooled me," she muttered.

"I needed to get you and Jo out of there, before shit really hit the fan. Any minute longer, and it would've been world war five on the back porch," he said, as she relaxed.

"It just hurts, Leo. That you didn't even stop her from spewing those awful things," she said, looking down at her feet. "It reminded me of the big fight we had.."

Leo sighed, "When I accused you of sleeping with Jim.."

Andrea nodded, "Not only does it hurt, it pisses me off. Why does everyone think that I'm fucking Jim? First of all, that's disgusting! He's the closest thing I got to a brother and second, I can't even imagine what diseases he had or has from his partners.." she shuddered.

"I don't know either. When I said it, it was based on the act of anger. My mother probably sees it as your way of being manipulative. You're a young woman in Starfleet, who's dating a CMO and is close friends with a Captain. Just like my mother things I'm sleeping with you because your father is the Admiral,"

"Well, I wish everyone would stop and mind their business. They aren't helping and it's ruining everything," she huffed.

Leo wrapped his arms around her waist, "Once we get back to San Francisco, things will die down and we'll try again. Can't force her to like you, darlin'. Just be happy that my father is on our side,

Andrea nodded, "I guess that's better than nothing.." she mumbled, before yawing widely.

"Come on. Let's go to bed and tomorrow we'll figure everything out," he said, turning her around.

"I'm still mad at you. Furious in fact," she said, as he led her towards the bed.

"I'm mad at you too. And at myself, as well. I just hope you're not mad at me forever," he told her, as she climbed into bed.

**A/N: The fighting ain't over yet kids. We still have two days left in Georgia and they're will be plenty of surprises! Stay tuned :D **


	19. Chapter 19

The next morning, Andrea woke before the others and quietly pulled herself out of bed. As she stood in the kitchen fixing a bowl of cereal, the events from the night before replayed in her head. With a sigh, she quietly made her way through the house and out onto the patio. She plopped down on one of the whicker chairs, and pulled her feet up. Slowly, Andrea scooped the cereal out of the bowl and ate, while watching the sun rising over the sea.

"Andy?"

Andrea turned her head towards the door and spotted Joanna standing on the porch, a blanket in her hand.

"Hey Jojo.." she said, setting the spoon into the bowl.

The little girl made her way across the porch and climbed into Andrea's lap, resting her head against her chest.

"Why are you out here?" she asked, as Andrea pulled the blanket across her body.

"I wanted to see the sun come up," Andrea said, kissing the little girl's forehead.

Joanna snuggled closer and Andrea placed the bowl onto the table, before wrapping both her arms around her.

"Are you leavin' still?" Joanna asked, as she yawned.

Andrea looked down at her and shook her head, "No. I'm not leaving, Jo. I don't think I would've done it anyway," she said.

Joanna nodded and settled her head against her shoulder, "Good. I don't want you to leave my daddy. You make him happy and you make me happy, too," she said.

The older girl couldn't help but smile at the kind words and hugged Joanna tightly, "Good. Because you two make me happy as well," she said.

They sat together on the chair watching the sun come up and slowly fell into a slumber. The sound of the screen door opening and hitting the wall, caused Andrea to jump.

"Jo? Andy?" Leo came stumbling out onto the porch, looking around for this girlfriend and daughter.

"Shhh.." Andrea hissed, placing a finger to her lips.

Leo looked over at her and sighed in relief as he made his way towards them. "I couldn't find you and Jo.. thought you two left," he said, as he sat in the chair next to hers.

"If I'd left, why would I take Jo? That would be kidnapping and I don't want to go to jail," she said, frowning.

Leo sighed, "I figured you two went out to the market or somethin'. When I didn't see a note or anythin', I got worried," he said, trying to find the right words.

Andrea rolled her eyes, "Right.." she muttered, before turning her attention back to the ocean.

"Did you two eat?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"I had some cereal. Joanna came out when I was eating and fell asleep a few minutes later," she said, looking down at the sleeping child.

Leo nodded, "How about you two come inside and I'll whip up some food? We can let her sleep on the couch while it's cookin'. You said you wanted to go to the shops at one point, which we can do today," he offered.

Andrea shrugged, "Whatever. If we don't go, we don't go. I'm not going to cry over it," she said.

After a quick breakfast and showers, they headed down by foot to town and looked around in a few shops. They grabbed lunch at an outside diner, before heading into a few more shops. When Joanna became cranky, Andrea carried her back to the house, while Leo carried their loot from the day. Once Joanna was tucked into bed, Andrea made her way into the kitchen and started cleaning the dirty dishes and pans that sat in the sink.

"Do you want to have dinner outside?" Leo asked, as she scrubbed a frying pan with excessive force.

"Whatever you want, Leo," she answered.

Leo sighed, "Andy.. I'm trying here," he said, as she set the pan onto the drying rack.

"And I'm trying to keep these dishes in tact since I want to throw them at your head," she snapped.

She rinsed a few more plates off, setting them down on the drying rack and turned the water off. Throwing the sponge down into the sink, she ripped the gloves off and quickly turned around to leave. As she walked by, Leo grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back.

"Let go of me!"

Leo pulled her close and kissed her hard on the mouth, turning her knees into putty as she sank into his embrace.

"I'm still mad at you.." she moaned, as he kissed and nipped at her neck.

"I know," he rasped, before swooping her up into his arms.

He then turned and carried her off into the bedroom, closing the door and locking it behind him. It was hours later, after their last round of sex, when she finally spoke her thoughts.

"I can't see us being happy if your family can't accept us," she said, looking at Leo sadly.

Leo looked over at her and sighed, "I think we can be happy, Andrea. I'm thirty-two years old and I finally found the right person for me. Why should I let my family have a say in who I intend on marryin'?"

"Leo, this is your family we're talking about! They've been with you your entire life! You can't just push aside their feelings and causing a goddamn war with them!" she exclaimed.

Leo sat up turned to look at her, resting on his elbow. "Andrea, will you calm the hell down? I feel like your askin' me to break up with you,"

Andrea gasped, "I'm not! I just want you to understand my point of view on this. I don't want to be the reason why you get all that grief from them," she snapped, climbing out of bed.

"I think I'm old enough to make my own choices and to tell my mother when to fuck off," he said, as she pulled a shirt over her head.

She climbed up onto the bed and made her way towards him, straddling his waist. "So let me get this straight. If you called your mother up and told her to "fuck off" and she decided to cut you out of her life, you would be fine with that?" she asked.

Leo shrugged, "It would hurt, but if I have to, I will," he said.

Andrea groaned, "But I don't want you to do that!" she cried, as Leo gripped her hips.

"My mother has been so damn bossy my entire life, Andy. She's been in charge for most of it- dictating what my profession should be and whom I would marry. She did just that and look what it got her- a thirty-two year old, divorced doctor working in Starfleet. Not exactly what she wanted.. but she got her way for a while," he said.

"Speaking of your ex-wife, I'm surprised she hasn't called yet.." she sniffed, looking down at her nails.

Leo pushed her hair off her shoulders and sighed, "We'll deal with her tomorrow when she get's Jo. And I plan on tellin' her about you," he said.

Andrea looked up in shock and he nodded, "She needs to meet you and to understand that you're going to be in my life and in Jo's. She may have gotten everything in the divorce, but she's not going to take away my rights with Jo and use our relationship as a valid reason,"

There was a knock on the door, causing both adults to pause in their conversation.

"Daddy? Andy? I'm hungry.." Joanna whined, her voice muffled through the door.

"Go on downstairs, Jo. We'll be down in a second!" Leo yelled, before looking back up at Andrea.

"Now, can we please stop arguin' about this and enjoy our last night here? I can't figure out how many more times I gotta tell you that I made my choice and that this relationship ain't endin'" he said.

Andrea nodded, "I'm still going to worry about all this," she warned.

Leo sighed, "I figured you would.. I just wish you wouldn't," he said, sitting up further.

Climbing down off his lap, Andrea stood next to the bed and watched as Leo got up. He quickly threw a pair of shorts one, while Andrea grabbed her underwear off the floor. Once they were on, she looked up and saw that Leo was smirking at her.

"What are you looking at?" she asked, as she pulled her underwear into place.

"Just admirin' how good you look in my clothes," he said, pulling her in for another kiss.

She pulled away and swatted his arm, "Later! We have to feed your child and then entertain her until she falls asleep again," she said, as they made their way out of the bedroom.

"But that will take hours!" Leo exclaimed, as they made their way towards the stairs.

"Well, I hope you can handle yourself until then," she smirked.

"DADDY! ANDY! HURRY UP!" Joanna shouted from the kitchen.

"Hold your horses, kid! I'm a doctor not a race horse!" Leo huffed, as they reached the bottom of the staircase.

Andrea snorted, "Could've fooled me," she teased, before heading into the kitchen.


	20. Chapter 20

"But I don't want to go!" Joanna whined, as Leo put her bag together.

It was Sunday morning and the end of Joanna's visit, as well and Leo and Andrea's vacation. Jocelyn would arrive a little after noon to pick Joanna up, and they couple would leave after five for the airport.

"I know, honey. I don't want you to go either, but your momma won't be happy if we scooped you up and left," he said, as he folded her sweater into the bag.

"Can't you tell her that I don't want to go home? I wanna go with you and Andy!"

Leo sighed, "Jo, you know I can't do that," he said, as the little girl pouted.

Andrea stood in the doorway of her room, watching the scene before her. It broke her heart to see the girl beg for her father to take her with them, making her wonder how Jocelyn treated her at home.

"How about I talk to your mother, and we'll figure out a time when you can come to San Francisco? You can stay with me and my friend Jim," he said.

Joanna frowned, "You don't live with Andy?" she asked.

Leo laughed, "No, darlin'. Andy lives with her daddy, but she comes and stays over at my house," he said, trying to dilute the situation for her to understand.

Joanna looked from her father to Andrea, who nodded in confirmation. "He's right Jo. I still live at home with my dad, but that's because he's been sick for a while.," she said, making her way into the room.

"Is he better?" she asked, as Andrea moved the stack of clothes to the side, sitting down next to her.

"Much better than before. You're daddy fixed him and then a bunch of other doctors did as well," she said, wrapping her arm around Joanna's shoulders.

Joanna pondered on the information before looking up at Andrea, "Can we call him? I wanna see what he looks like,"

Leo chuckled, "He's old, Jojo. Older than me," he said.

Andrea glared at him before reached for the portable tablet, "I think a chat would be nice, considering I haven't spoken to him since last Sunday," she said, dialing the familiar number.

Joanna pulled herself close to Andrea's side and they both watched as the connection went through, and Christopher's face appeared before them.

He smiled at the sight of his daughter, "Well, look who finally called!" he joked, before notcing the girl next to her. "And who might this be?" he asked, with a smile.

"Joanna Elizabeth McCoy, sir," Joanna introduced, making the adults laugh.

"Well, she's polite," he stated.

"Yes sir. You're Andy's dad.. the man with the funny uniform?" she asked, frowning.

Leo snorted, "Yes, I guess your father mentioned my uniform. Ugly thing, and quite uncomfortable too," Christopher said, grimacing at the thought of the Admiral attire.

Joanna quickly glanced up at Andrea, "I like him. He's very handsome," she whispered, though Christopher heard her.

Andrea giggled, "Well, I guess you have an admirer," she quipped.

They spent a half and hour on vid-chat with Christopher, before ending the call for lunch. Christopher sent his best regards for their travels and his hopes to meet Joanna very soon, before the call ended. Lunch consisted of sandwiches and sweet tea on the back porch for one last time. As Leo and Joanna cleaned off the dishes, Andrea packed a small Tupperware filled with cookies and cupcakes that were baked the night before, and put them in a shopping bag.

"Jocelyn wont throw a fit if we give her sweets?" Andrea asked, as she the bag on the table.

Joanna shook her head, "I don't care! Put them in my bag and I'll hide 'em in my room!" she exclaimed, waving her soapy hands around.

Leo chuckled, "She can have 'em. I'll make sure that Jocelyn doesn't toss them out somewhere on the side of the road. I can spoil my baby whenever I want," he said.

Once the kitchen was cleaned and the sweets were stashed in Joanna's bag, Jocelyn's car pulled up in the driveway behind the rental. Despite the fact that this was Leo's ex-wife and the mother to his child, Andrea was surprised at how calm she was. Based on what Leo had told her, she'd expected this over-the-top woman, built like a linebacker and ready to kill. But when she stepped into the kitchen, Andrea was surprised at how opposite she was of that.

Jocelyn was a tall, rail-thin woman with dirty blonde hair. Andrea figured that many years ago, she would've been a looker. But at that moment she looked like a miserable woman, who divorced her husband and lived with the daily responsibility of raising a six year old by herself.

"Who's this, Len?" she asked, her blue eyes piercing through Andrea.

Andrea stepped forward and held her hand out, "Andrea Pike."

Jocelyn stared at her hand, then back at her face. "Who are you?" she demanded, glaring at the girl before her.

"Oh right. Well, I'm Leo's girlfriend," she smirked.

"Girlfriend? Len you didn't tell me that you were gonna have a girlfriend up here. You're supposed to inform me of the people you're plannin' on havin' around our daughter," she snapped.

Leo sighed, "Jocelyn, you know that's a crock of shit. Now stop ruinin' Joanna's day," he hissed.

"Jo? How about you check your room and make sure you didn't leave anything up there?" Andrea asked, as the six year old watched the beginnings of a verbal smackdown taking place between her parents. "Leo, can you go with her? I like to have a chat with Jocelyn here. A little.. girl talk,"

Father and daughter glanced at each other, then back at the two women before them. Leo took Joanna's hand and made a motion with his hand to shout if she needed any help. Once they were upstairs, Andrea turned and looked at Jocelyn.

"Look, I don't know the full details of your divorce and quite frankly, I don't care. What I do know is that you have a lovely daughter, who loves her father with every inch of her being. Now, I get that Leo works for Starfleet and that requires him to be on leave, but he still has his rights. If he didn't think I would be suitable around Joanna, I don't think we would be in this relationship. Now, I don't have the luxury of having two parents who have deep concerns over their child, but I will tell you that Joanna knows and understands everything. She's a smart girl and I find it completely tactless that you badmouth her father, while she's in front of you," she said.

Jocelyn scoffed, "I don't know who you think you a-"

"I'm the woman that your ex-husband plans on marrying. The woman that will be your daughter's step-mother," she snapped.

Jocelyn recoiled, "What?"

"You need to put aside whatever hate you have towards Leo- which I find ridiculous since he gave you the best gift any woman could ask for- and move on. Now, Jo wants to come out to San Francisco soon and I'd expect for you to act like a civil adult and see to it that she can come visit us," she demanded.

Jocelyn laughed, "I can't believe you're tellin' me how to raise my kid!"

Andrea rolled her eyes, "How about you ask your daughter why she doesn't want to leave with you?" she asked.

The laugh stopped and Jocelyn looked at her, alarmed and shocked.

Andrea nodded, "You're lucky that Leo let's you get away with this shit. Because if you were my ex-wife, I would fight you. I would fight you until I dropped dead. I wouldn't let you get away with half the shit you've pulled," she hissed.

Both women stared at each other glaring holes into one another. Suddenly Jocelyn broke the gaze and quickly turned to the doorway of the kitchen.

"JO? It's time to go!" she shouted.

A few seconds later, both Joanna and Leo came barreling down the stairs and into the kitchen, expecting a bloodbath. Both were surprised to find both ladies clear of any physical damage, though Jocelyn looked as if she were slapped a few times in the face from utter shock.

"Say goodbye to your father and his friend," Jocelyn said, as she made her way towards the front door.

Leo knelt down on one knee and pulled Joanna in front of him, "Now, you be good and listen' to what your momma tells you to do. No back talkin' and you do all your chores," he said.

Joanna nodded, "Can I see you again before you go back up?" she asked.

He sighed, "Maybe Jo. I don't know when we're leavin' yet," he said, and she looked down at her feet sadly. "Hey, don't be sad. I can still see you. We can always vid-chat and it'll be as if I'm right in front of you," he said, tugging on the end of her braid.

"Promise to call me?" she asked.

Leo nodded, "I promise,"

Joanna threw her arms around his neck and he held her tightly, almost afraid that she would disappear into nothing. Andrea watched sadly as the little girl's eyes filled with tears, as she pulled away. Leo kissed her forehead and stood up. Then Joanna ran to Andrea and threw her arms around her legs, which made the woman yelp in surprise.

Bending down, Andrea scooped Joanna into her arms and hugged her tightly.

"Can I call you too?" she asked, her face buried into Andrea's neck.

"Of course you can. Daddy will give you my number when you call him and I'll always be around to talk. You can even write me a letter and I can write you back," she said.

Joanna leaned back, her arms wrapped around Andrea's neck. "You promise not to get married until I'm there?" she asked.

Andrea laughed, "Oh Jo.. you'll be the first person we call," she promised, before giving her a kiss on the cheek.

They moved outside and stood by the waiting car, as Leo packed Joanna's bag into the trunk.

"I'll see you soon, Jojo," Andrea said, as she gave the girl one last hug, before handing her over to Leo.

Andrea shot Jocelyn a quick look, before moving back up the front steps, watching as Leo said goodbye to his daughter.

"I love you, daddy,"

"I love you too, Jobear. Be good for your momma," he said, as he shut the car door.

He then made his way up the steps and stood next to Andrea, watching as Jocelyn put the car in reverse and pulled out of the driveway. Joanna opened the window and waved at them, shouting "goodbye" and "I love you". Andrea and Leo stood on the steps and watched as the car moved down the block and disappeared around the corner, out of sight.

Wrapping her arm around his waist, Andrea looked up at him and smiled sadly, before resting her head against him. Leo gave her shoulder a squeeze and sighed.

"I'm glad we did this," he said.

"Me too," she replied, looking up at him. "We'll see her again, Leo. She can't keep Jo away from you forever," she promised.

Several hours later, as they both waited at the gate for their shuttle, Leo received a message. Andrea was busy reading a few emails from Nyota and Pavel, when Leo let out a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Andrea asked, as she tried to translate shuttle from English to Russian.

Leo handed the PADD over to her and she quickly glanced away from hers to read the message he'd received.

_Len._

_Joanna doesn't start school until the end of August.. If you're still around, she can come out to San Francisco and spend some time with you and Andrea. _

_Jocelyn. _

"Am I readin' this right?" he asked, as she looked at the message with a smile.

She sat back in her seat, "Yup. You sure are," she said, before returning to her own emails.


	21. Chapter 21

Jim was waiting for them at the checkpoint, when they finally arrived home hours later. Andrea had never been happier to see a familiar face, then at that moment. After hugs and "welcome home", the boys went to get the luggage, while Andrea sat by the exit to wait.

"Happy to be home?" Jim asked, as he drove towards the exit of the airport.

Andrea curled up in the backseat of her car, "Yes. I can't wait to sleep in my own bed," she mumbled, resting the side of her head against the window.

Jim chuckled and glanced at Leo, who stared out the front window, silent. Looking back at the road before him, Jim turned out onto the highway and cleared his throat.

"How was it?" he asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Good," Leo state.

Jim frowned, "Good? Gotta give me more than that, Bones. I've never been to Georgia, so I need to know if I should mark it off my list of "places to see before I die" if it's less than good," he laughed.

Leo sighed, "Sorry. I'm just tired and we had a screaming baby on board the shuttle back," he said, rubbing the side of his face.

Jim winced, "That sucks. I'm surprised you didn't have a hypo filled with children's Tylenol in your carry on," he joked.

"I'm surprised I didn't freak out on the parents. They thought the entire thing was so goddamn cute," he muttered. "Look at Tyler! See how happy he is! Oh don't worry, Tyler! It's just an air pocket!" he mimicked, rolling his eyes.

"I guess that means no babies for a while?" Jim asked.

Leo scoffed, "Our children would never pull that nonsense. And I sure as hell wouldn't put them on a shuttle at such a young age!"

Jim snorted, "Good luck with that one. With Andrea's big mouth, those kids could form their own music band," he joked, as he took the exit that led them towards the Academy.

Leo glanced over his shoulder and saw that Andrea had passed out from the time they left the airport, and smiled softly. He then turned around to face forward, leaning back against the seat.

"How did Joanna react when she saw you had a girlfriend?" Jim asked.

"Would you believe me if I told you that Joanna is anticipating our wedding and the future siblings?" he asked.

Jim's jaw dropped and he glanced at him quickly, "Seriously?" he asked, shocked.

Leo nodded, "According to her, I have to get Andrea pregnant at least a year before she turns nine,"

Jim snorted, "Better get to work, Bones. I hope you plan on asking Pike for permission to marry her within the next year," he warned.

"There's a lot of things I need to do, kid. Soon I'll need to make appointments on when I can eat, sleep and piss," he muttered.

As the Academy came into view, Jim steered the car down the back roads, which would lead to the parking lot behind Andrea' s home.

"Well you better do it soon, Bones. You've got competition," he smirked.

Leo looked over at him and frowned, "Oh yeah? And who may that be?" he asked, as Jim turned into the parking lot.

"Chekov," he laughed.

"Chekov? What the hell does he have to do with me askin' Pike for permission to marry Andrea?" he asked, confused.

Jim pulled into an empty parking spot and turned the car off, turning in his seat to face him.

"For the past two weeks, that kid has been moping around campus. Whenever Andrea sent him a message or when she called, he would light up like a firework on the Fourth of July. It's like watching a puppy begging for attention. I nearly threw up over how damn sad he was," he snorted, as he unlocked the doors.

Leo frowned, thinking of what Jim had told him. Getting out of the car, Leo made his way around the front and slowly opened the passenger door. Reaching out to keep Andrea from jolting to the side, Leo leaned into the car and lightly shook her awake.

"W-what? What's wrong?" she asked, blinking.

"We're home, darlin'," he said, pulling the seatbelt off her.

Climbing out of the car, Andrea grabbed her bag and waited against the car as Jim and Leo unloaded her bag from the trunk. Making their way across the parking lot and up the pathway, Andrea could see the lights on in the house she shared with her father, and felt the excitement running through her. Unlocking the front door, Jim pushed it open and moved to the side so Andrea could go in.

"Daddy?" she called out, setting her bag against the wall.

Leo and Jim came in behind her with her suitcase, setting it next to her tote bag, before making their way further into the house.

"Daddy! I'm home!" Andrea shouted, only to be met with silence. "Why are the lights on if he's not home? He never does that unless I'm out late," she said, moving towards the hall closet.

"Maybe he's out back? Or next door? He's been hanging out with the couple next door, playing chess a few nights a week, "Jim said, shrugging.

Andrea tugged her jacket off and went to open the closet door, "He's been going out?" she asked, pulling the door open.

Before Jim could respond, a figure lept forward and grabbed Andrea by the shoulders, letting out a mix between a shriek and a groan. Andrea screamed and dropped her jacket, standing still as the person shook her lightly.

"BLAHHHHH HA HA HA! OH GOD!" the jokester sputtered, pulling the ski mask off.

Andrea let out a screech, "HIKARU! YOU JERK!" she yelled, giving him a shove.

"What's going on in here?"

They all turned to see Christopher and Chekov coming in through the back door, slightly alarmed at the sudden outburst. Jim was nearly on the floor in tears, as he laughed, while Leo stood with a scowl on his face.

Hikaru quickly sobered up and stood up straighter, "Sorry Sir. Just wanted to surprise Andrea," he said, before snorting.

Christopher shook his head and Andrea made her way over to him, wrapping her arms around him. He quickly relaxed and smiled as his daughter hugged him.

"Welcome home, honey bee," he said, giving her a squeeze.

Pulling away, she smiled. "It's good to be home. And you look.. tanner. Have you been tanning?" she asked, frowning at the slightly darker appearance to her father's skin.

Jim snorted and quickly smothered it with a cough, as Leo patted his back.

"Actually no. Chekov, Hikaru and I have been spending sometime outside with your garden. It looks like you've mastered it, since we've been picking peppers and tomatoes left and right," he said, chuckling.

Andrea noticed that all three of the men had tans, and she beamed at Chekov.

"Pavel!" she exclaimed, quickly making her way towards the young man.

He blushed furiously as she hugged him, " "Ello Andrea," he quickly spoke, as she pulled back.

"You've gotten taller! And you've gotten a little color as well!" she said, taking in his appearance.

Pavel nodded, "The sun is weary strong here," he noted, and she laughed, before leaning in to kiss his cheek.

"I've miss you the most! Besides you, of course!" she said, looking at her father.

Leo tensed at the innocent kiss and Jim glanced at him, lightly touching his arm and shaking his head.

If it were possible, Pavel blushed even harder and laughed nervously at the sudden and unexpected kiss. Christopher noticed the look on Leo's and quickly stepped in to diffuse the tension.

"How about we start dinner and you two show Andrea her garden?" Christopher suggested, nodding towards Hikaru and Pavel.

"You gotta see the size of these peppers. They are bigger than moon rocks," Hikaru said, rushing past them and out the backdoor.

Andrea and Pavel quickly followed, leaving Christopher, Jim and Leo standing in the living room.

"McCoy, don't you dare start a fight," Christopher warned, as he moved towards the kitchen.

"What the hell do you expect me to do, Chris? Act like that kid doesn't have any interest in my girlfriend?" Leo snapped, as he and Jim followed after him.

"Pavel and Andrea are friends, son. I can assure you that Andrea only has feelings for you," Christopher said.

Jim, who was digging around in the fridge, stood up and nodded. "And I'm sure Chekov understands that, too. I wouldn't worry, Bones," he said, shrugging.

Leo rolled his eyes, "You mean to tell me that he's not attracted at all to Andrea? He's eighteen dammit! Most eighteen year old boys think about one thing and one thing only!"

Jim and Christopher looked at each other, rolling their eyes. "Bones, I think you're blowing this out of proportion. You better chill out before Andrea kicks the shit outta you," Jim warned, before moving to the counter.

Christopher nodded in agreement, "You two just got back from a nice vacation. Don't even think about pulling this nonsense. If you were smart, you'd know that Andrea has no intention of starting something with Pavel. Vice versa. Now, grab a frying pan out of the cabinet," he ordered.

Grumbling, Leo did what he was told, though he didn't push out the dread he felt. He would make sure to have a talk with Pavel, as well as Andrea.


	22. Chapter 22

Long after dinner, once Pavel and Hikaru left, Leo confronted Andrea in her bedroom about the "kiss".

"What was that kiss on the cheek earlier? With Pavel?" he asked, as she pushed her bedroom window open.

Andrea looked over her shoulder and frowned, "What?" she asked, before turning her attention back to the curtains.

Leo sighed, "You know what I'm talkin' about," he said.

"Leo, it was a kiss on the cheek. Nothing to flip out over," she said, walking over to her bed.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he shifted from one foot to the other, grumbling. Andrea was busy pulling her things out of her suitcase, setting the dirty laundry to the side for washing.

"You do realize that the kid has a crush on you, right?" he asked.

Andrea laughed, "Jesus Leo! You're being so ridiculous right now!" she snapped, setting her makeup bag on the nightstand.

"How am I being ridiculous? The kid turned redder than a goddamn tomato and you sure as hell looked pleased with yourself!" he snapped.

She quickly looked up at him, glaring. "Leonard McCoy, if you so dare accuse me of anything, I will kill you. So help me god," she hissed.

Leo sighed, "Look, I have a right to be protective over you-" he started.

"That's fine! Be protective over me, Leo. But if you're going to worry about Pavel.. I seriously think you should get your head check out, because I love him like a brother," she exclaimed.

"I know. I'm just being an asshole," he admitted, to which she nodded in agreement too.

"Yes, you are. And a damn fool," she muttered, scooping the pile of dirty laundry up into her arms.

Leo watched as she made her way out of the room and sighed, throwing himself down across her bed. He could hear Jim and Chris talking in his office, and the sound of the washer going on. A few seconds later, Andrea came back into her room and frowned at him.

"Don't get too comfortable. You're going home with Jim," she said.

"How the hell am I going to get there, when we don't have a car?" he asked, watching as she pulled the bath supplies out of the bag.

She shrugged, "You have legs. Walk home,"

As she cleaned up the bathroom, Jim came waltzing into the room, throwing himself down next to Leo.

"Bonesy, I think we're crashing here for the night," he said, resting his arms behind his head.

Leo snorted, "I don't think so. Andrea's kickin' us out," he said, causing the younger man to groan.

"Nope. I'm stayin'. In fact, this bed is comfortable and I think Andrea should sleep on the couch!" he said, shouting the last part for her to hear.

"James if you want to continue being a captain, I suggest you get your fat ass off my bed," she demanded.

Leo laughed while Jim gaped at the comment, before pouting. "I don't have a fat ass.." he pouted.

Andrea stepped out of the bathroom, pulling her hair up into a bun, and smirked. "You look like you gained weight, dear. I guess two weeks without my cooking took it's toll on you," she quipped.

Jim glared at her, "You look… deflowered. You don't seem as… bitchy," he smirked.

Andrea's eyes went wide and she gasped, glaring at Leo who laughed. Grabbing a folded up towel, Andrea flung it at Jim, who ducked quickly.

"You are completely disgusting!" she shrieked, as they laughed. "What makes you think your statement is corrected anyway?" she demanded.

Jim shrugged, "Would a late night vid-chat with your half-naked boyfriend answer that question?" he asked.

"You did a vid-chat half naked with him!" she snapped, glaring at Leo.

Leo sobered up and cleared his throat, "I- well I.. oh hell, yes I did," he admitted, looking away from her.

Andrea shook her head and looked at Jim, placing her hands on her hips. "Anything else you'd like to say?" she asked.

Jim thought for a moment and shrugged, "Welcome to the club?"

All she could do was grumbled, as both he and Leo fell into bouts of laughter, rolling around on her bed and clutching their sides.

"Two infants!" she shrieked, before storming out of her room.

The next morning, after dropping both Jim and Leo off at their apartment, Andrea met up with Nyota at a coffee shop.

"So, how was it?" Nyota asked, as they sat down with their drinks and scones.

"It was good! We had nice weather for the most part and Joanna was lovely!" she said, stirring a packet of sugar into her coffee.

Nyota rolled her eyes, "That's not what I was asking about," she said, as Andrea blushed.

"Oh that.."

"Yes that! Now spill!" Nyota demanded, before taking a sip of her tea.

Andrea sighed, "I think I'm slightly addicted, honestly. I mean, once we started I couldn't stop," she admitted, blushing furiously.

Nyota snorted, setting her cup down so she wouldn't spill the hot liquid all over her self and the table. Andrea glared at her, which made the laughter harder to control.

"A sex-addict already? Jesus Andy.." she managed to spit out, through tears of laughter.

"I'm not the only one! There were a few times when I had to fight Leo off me! Especially when Joanna was in the house!" she exclaimed.

"Oh god, could you imagine if she walked in on you two? I would die, come back to life and die again," she shuddered.

Andrea rolled her eyes, "Yeah well.. I'm taking a break. I don't think I can take another round until my pelvis realigns itself correctly," she muttered, breaking a piece of her scone off.

Nyota snorted, "You know, I could picture Leo being all rough.. but you? I figured you would push the more "I'm a virgin please don't devour me! My body isn't ready for a pounding!" she sputtered, before laughing again.

"You really are a skanky girl. I'm surprised. And I don't need to know how you and Spock do it," she snipped.

"HA! Spock and I? Please! There is no sexual-relationship going on at the moment," she said, before looking down at her cup.

"Really? I thought you two would be all "peace and love, tis only logical" and whatever else Vulcan's do during sex," she said.

Nyota shrugged, "I'm all up for it. But Spock.. I don't think he really understands that I want to. I mean, yes he's part human, but I think he got the Vulcan perspective of sex and never learned the signals that indicate the want to do it," she said.

"So.. how about you just take all your clothes off and tell him you want to get busy?" she asked.

"Shut up! I'm not doing that. He would probably say something like, "Your body proportions are deemed appropriate for a woman your age and height," or compare me to some art piece.." she shuddered.

Andrea giggled, "Well.. I'm not sure what advice to give you. I've only slept with one man and all I have to do is look at him and we're at it," she said.

"Lucky bitch.." Nyota mumbled, before taking a sip of her tea.

"Though, there was one night, after getting really drunk, that I tried to take all my clothes off in sexy "I wanna fuck right now" matter, and fell flat on my face," she said, reminiscing on her embarrassing moment. "Leo never fails to remind me of my fine performance," she said, sighing.

Noyta downed the rest of her tea and stood up, "Okay, I don't want to talk about your active sex life and my non-existent one. Let's go window-shopping and talk about something else,"

Grabbing their things, both women headed out into the busy sidewalk and started walking. A shrill ping went off inside Andrea's bag and she dug around to retrieve her communicator, and found a message from Leo.

_Where are you?"_

"Lover boy?" Nyota asked.

Andrea nodded and quickly sent a message back to him.

_Out with Ny. What's up?_

He responded quickly, which surprised her.

_Can you please do my laundry?_

Andrea laughed, "This idiot wants me to do his laundry!"

Nyota laughed, "Ahh, I'm so glad Spock is capable of washing his own uniforms," she said.

"This is ridiculous! He's a grown man who is capable of washing his own clothes!" she exclaimed, typing a furious message back.

_When I said laundry, I meant come over so we can have some alone time. Jim finally went to the gym with Sulu and I'm bored and lonely_

Andrea showed Nyota the message and she laughed, "Somebody's desperate," she quipped.

Shoving the communicator back into her bag, Andrea pulled her sunglasses down over her eyes.

"He has a hand and he can use it. I'm not dropping everything because he's home alone," she stated, as they crossed the street.

Nyota smiled and threw her arm around her shoulders, "Good girl! Now, lets find mama a nice pair of shoes!"


	23. Chapter 23

"Ny- how the hell am I going to explain this to my dad!" Andrea whispered, as she sat on the floor of her bedroom.

"You could go out there and tell him," she said, watching as the younger woman wrung her fingers together.

"But.. he's going to be so mad!"

Nyota rolled her eyes, setting the magazine down on her lap. "Andrea, they're goddamn kittens! One look at their little faces, and your dad will be hooked!" she snapped.

Andrea picked up one of the small black and white kittens, and scratched its head. The kitten purred and meowed at the contact, pushing it's head further against her palm.

"Awww, who's a good little kitty? You are! Yes you are!" she said, kissing her new pet on the head.

There was a knock on her bedroom door, "Andrea, are you hungry? I'm going to start dinne-what is that?"

Both Andrea and Nyota looked over at the door with wide eyes, as Christopher stared at the small creature in Andrea's hands.

Andrea smiled, "Um.. this is Pandora. Pandora this is Grandpa!" she said, speaking to the kitten in a baby voice.

"Grandpa?" he asked, displeased with his new title. "To a kitten?"

"Two actually.." Nyota said, as the other kitten dashed out from under the bed.

Andrea pulled herself up off the floor, the kitten in one arm. She then made her way over to her father, smiling.

"Daddy, look how cute she is!" she exclaimed, holding the little puffball up for him to see.

Christopher looked at the kitten, which stared back at him. She then let out a little meow and he could feel his heart melt. Reaching out, he carefully took Pandora from Andrea's hands, and settled her against his chest.

"You can start dinner," he said, as he started down the hall.

For a brief moment, Andrea panicked, and quickly went after him with Nyota hot on her heels.

"Don't put her outside!" she shouted, as her father settled onto the sofa.

"Relax, I'm not going to put her outside! I'm not coldhearted!" he exclaimed, as Pandora walked all over him, purring and meowing as she did so.

Nyota laughed, "See, I told you it would be fine!" she said, slinging her arm around her shoulders.

"Oh, I'm mad. And I can't believe you didn't talk her out of it, Ny. But I will admit, she is a cute little thing," he said, scratching Pandora's back lightly.

Pandora turned around in a full circle, before curling up onto his chest and falling asleep. Both girls cooed at the sight and Nyota ran to find the camera. She had just taken the picture, when the front door opened and Leo came in.

"Hey guys!" he called out, as the door closed behind him.

He made his way into the living room, greeting Andrea with a kiss, before looking over at Christopher.

"Is that a rat?' he asked, frowning.

Andrea elbowed him in the stomach, "That's Pandora!" she exclaimed, as he clutched his side.

"Ow! What the hell? Pandora?" You named a rat, Pandora?" he asked.

"She's not a rat! She's my kitten!"

Leo frowned, "Since when did you have a kitten?" he asked, confused.

Nyota rolled her eyes, "Since today. We got her and her sister!"

"Two? You got two kittens? Oh Andy.. are you crazy?" he asked, as the other little kitten came running out.

They all watched as the kitten slid across the floor, staring up at them with wide eyes. Then slowly, she made her way over to Leo and sat down by his foot. Leo looked down at the kitten, waiting for it to attack, when it let out a meow. She then stood up against his leg, patting him lightly to be picked up. Andrea giggled, bending down to scoop the baby up.

"This is Lily," she cooed, handing the kitten over to Leo.

"Look, she likes him already!" Nyota laughed, as the kitten sniffed Leo's jacket, rubbing her little head against the collar.

"Now, you sit down with Lily and we'll start dinner!" she said, leading him over to the sofa.

Leo sat down next to Christopher, holding onto Lily as he did so, and sighed.

"How can you be so calm about this?" he asked, looking over at Christopher.

The older man shrugged, "Come on, McCoy. They're cute!"

Lily managed to balance herself on Leo's shoulder, nibbling on his hair. Carefully, Leo pulled the kitten down and sat her on his lap. Within seconds, she managed to weasel her way across his chest. He heard Andrea and Nyota in the kitchen giggling, as they started on dinner.

"So I guess this makes me their Daddy, huh?' he asked, watching as Lily massaged his chest as she slept.

Christopher snorted, "Yup. And I'm the Grandpa," he said, reaching for the remote.

Once dinner was ready and served, Jim came by with Scotty, and the two little babies too enraptured them. They sat on the floor across from each other, rolling a ball back and forth. Lily and Pandora managed to make two grown men squeal with delight as they hopped and chased a ball bigger than their heads. The sight amused everyone but Leo, who found it sickening.

"Oh stop being a grump! I caught you smiling at Lily before.." Andrea said, as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"But why two? They're going to be a handful!" he said, keeping his eye on the two kittens.

Andrea shrugged, "I couldn't leave the other behind! They managed to get through the first four months of their lives together! How could I rip them apart?" she pouted.

Leo sighed, looking down at her. She batted her eyes at him, and he smiled.

"You are too much," he said, kissing her forehead.

"But you love me anyway,"

"I do," he said, giving her a squeeze. "You do realize that if I spend the night, they're going to be climbing all over the place," he said, watching was Pandora jumped onto Jim's leg, biting down on the denim-clad knee.

"Think of it as practice for when the real children come," she said, as Jim started shouting.

"OW OW! THE SKIN! ANDY SHE'S GOT HER TEETH IN MY SKIN!"

"Bet ye like that," Scotty laughed, as Jim tried to remove the kitten from his leg.

Andrea quickly moved form Leo and made her way over to Jim, bending down to remove Pandora's teeth from his knee. She stood, holding the wiggling kitten in her arms.

"No baby. No biting," she said, giving her noisy kiss.

Christopher came out of his office, holding a PADD in his hand. " I guess you don't like your girls to bite, huh?" he asked, glancing up at the group before him.

Andrea laughed as Jim made a face, "Anyways, I just received the date for your departure," he said, looking down at the PADD again.

Everyone grew silent and looked at him, suddenly aware that they had to return to space. They all knew the time was coming, but it was still a surprise.

"Well, don't leave us hangin', Chris!" Leo said, rolling his eyes.

"Right, well. You're expected to leave a week from today- Monday- and you'll be off for a year," he said, reading the email that Admiral Barnett sent.

"A year?" Jim asked, shocked.

"What?"

"Holy shit.."

"A year! Oh bloody hell, that's fantastic!"

Christopher looked up and immediately looked at Andrea, who stood quietly with Pandora in her arms.

"Wow.. that's- a year?" she asked, hoping she heard wrong.

He nodded, "A year," he confirmed.

Andrea looked down at Pandora and sighed, rubbing her head.

"You hear that Pan? A year…" she mumbled, snuggling her face into the kitten's body, blocking her tears from everyone.

Nyota glanced at Leo, "How about I get some stuff for a bon-fire? Plus, these little monsters need some food and we forgot to get some! Scotty you want to come with me? Jim can watch Lily?" she asked.

The Scotsman nodded and handed Lily to Jim, before pulling himself off the floor. Grabbing the keys to Andrea's car, Nyota grabbed her bag and they quickly made their way out of the house.

"Come on Lilster. Let's get you some water.." Jim said, carrying the kitten into the kitchen.

Christopher sighed, "Andrea… it's not as bad as it sounds," he said.

Andrea nodded, lifting her head up from Pandora's fur. "No, I know. It could be worse," she said, sniffling. "Just surprised," she said.

Leo sighed, "Come on. Let's go clean you up," he said, holding his hand out.

Walking over to him, Andrea took his hand. Christopher placed the PADD under his arm and nodded towards Pandora.

"I'll take the baby.." he said, wiggling his fingers for her to hand the kitten over.

Once Pandora was in his arms, Andrea was led down the hall to the bathroom. Leo shut and locked the door behind him, and turned around to face her. He picked her up and placed her on the counter, before reaching for a washcloth. Turning the tap on, he ran the rag under the cool water, and wrung it out.

"I know you're upset. I'm upset, too," he said, as he carefully wiped her face down.

"A whole year, Leo," she mumbled.

Setting the wet rag down, Leo placed both his hands on her hips. "It could've been five. Or ten," he said.

"I would've called Barnett up and threatened him!" she exclaimed, making him laugh.

"I know, darlin'" he said. "But look at it this way.. six months went by real fast. I think a year will go by quickly," he said.

Andrea shook her head, "No it wont. It's going to go by so slow, because it's a fucking year," she cried.

Leo sighed, "Andrea, think of it this way. You're starting school again in a few weeks and you'll be busy with classes. By the time we come back, you'll be done and ready to come up with us," he said, trying to make light of the situation.

"But Leo.. it's a year!" she whined.

"If I leave you the keys to the apartment to use as safe haven, will you be happy?" he asked.

Andrea thought for a moment, "Well.. I could take naughty pictures of myself without interruption and send them to you.." she said.

Leo laughed and she sighed, "I guess- but it's not going to be the same," she mumbled.

"Maybe getting those beasts was a sign? Now you be alone at night, when I'm gone. Which, come to think of it, makes me real jealous. While I'm up there in the tin-can, those two little monsters are going to be all over you, keepin' you warm," he scowled.

Andrea snorted "Jealous of two, three pound kittens. Jesus Leo.. never thought I'd see the day," she laughed.

"Yeah well, you know it's true," he said, rolling his eyes.

Andrea was about to respond, when someone began shouting from the kitchen. Quickly hopping off the counter, they both ran out of the bathroom and down the hall. Stepping into the kitchen, they found Jim clutching his hand to his chest, while Lily stood on the counter watching him.

"What happened?" Andrea asked, taking note of the small plastic bowl on the floor.

"This beast BIT me!" Jim shouted, pointing to Lily.

Andrea rolled her eyes as Leo chuckled, "I thought you liked it when your girls bit you?" he asked, as Andrea went to clean the mess up.

Jim glared at him, "That's not funny, Bones," he hissed.

Christopher came in with Pandora, "What's going on in here?" he asked, watching the scene before him.

"Jim's not a cat person.." Leo said, as the younger man examined his finger.

Christopher chuckled, "And we've learned that he doesn't like biting either," he said.


	24. Chapter 24

**This story is coming to a close. I think I have two maybe three chapters left, and there will be a third part to the series! **

"Pandora! Lily! How many times do I have to yell for you two to stop!" Andrea hissed, as the two kittens caused havoc.

Andrea was sorting through a pile of photographs, placing them into frames and photo albums. It was almost lunchtime, and she was starving. After a early appointment at school with an advisor, Andrea came home to attack a mountain of laundry and dishes. Once everything was set for a wash in their assigned machines, she went and attacked her bedroom. The last time she cleaned it, was during her unpacking stage of moving in.

"LILY!" she snapped, grabbing the small kitten up off the photos.

She set her down on the floor and lightly kicked a pink mouse across the hardwood floor, Lily scrambling after it.

"Andy? You in here?"

"Yeah!" she shouted, turning her attention back to the pictures.

A few minutes later, Leo stepped into the room, moving to the side as Lily darted out with her toy mouse. Pandora meowed from her spot on the bed, prancing around in a circle. Making his way over to the bed, he gave Andrea a kiss, before scooping the kitten up.

"Panny baby. You bein' good for your mother?" he asked, scratching the kitten's head.

Andrea snorted at the sight, amazed that after three days, Leo was in love with both kittens. He tried to hide it, but when Andrea watched through the crack of her bathroom door the night before as Leo laid across her bed, allowing both kittens to walk all over him, she knew.

"I see you're more excited about seeing two kittens. Should I drop them off at your place tonight?' she asked, placing a photo of herself and Jim at a party into a frame.

Leo grabbed her by the waist, "No. I expect you at my place, with some sexy underthings so I can have my way with you. Jim is going out and I can finally have you alone in my own place, "he growled, before placing a firm kiss on her lips.

"Shh, not so loud!" she hissed, pushing him back lightly.

Leo snorted, "Oh calm down, Andy. I'm sure your dad knows that we've done it.. I mean, we did go away, alone, for two weeks. What did he expect us to do? Play checkers?" he asked, as Pandora licked his hand.

Andrea rolled her eyes, "I know, but it's still awkward. If my dad was having sex, I sure as hell wouldn't want to know about it!" she said, making a face.

Leo sighed, "It's a shame, too. Your dad could find a nice lady and date, and there's one woman that's really interested in him. But he's so oblivious to it," he laughed.

"What? There's a woman who likes my dad?" she asked, setting the frame down.

"Yeah. His new secretary.. Amelia? The blonde with green eyes," he said, setting Pandora down on the pillows.

"She's like.. four years older than me. She's old enough to be his daughter!" she exclaimed.

Leo chuckled, "She's a nice young lady. And smart, since she totally denied Jim when he hit on her," he said, dangling a ribbon above Pandora's head.

Andrea frowned, "When did you meet her? I didn't know you and Jim were going to my dad's office," she said.

"We had lunch yesterday. Since Spock was too busy with Nyota, Jim wanted to annoy someone, so your dad was the target," he said, shrugging.

"I'm gonna have to see this.. Amelia chick. I'm not thrilled with someone already having interest in my father. I need to be sure she's not out to play him, because I will kill her," she promised, grabbing an empty frame.

Leo kissed the side of her head, "Play nice. I have to talk to your dad, and then I'm off to clean up the apartment. Jim managed to stain the kitchen floor with coffee, how I don't know, and I should clean up my room for tonight, " he said.

Andrea snorted, "Sounds like a good idea," she said, as he gave Pandora a quick kiss on the head.

"Call me when you're leavin'" he said, as he walked out of the room and down the hall.

Knocking on the door, Leo waited until he heard the muffled "come in", before opening the door. Christopher was sitting at his desk, reading at PADD, when he looked up and smiled.

"Leo, what a pleasant surprise!" he said, pulling his glasses off. "Please tell me you're here to chat and not because Jim is in trouble," he said.

Leo laughed, "No sir, just to chat," he said, closing the door behind him.

Christopher nodded, "Good! Come sit,"

Crossing the room, Leo sat down in the chair in front of the desk and sat back, sighing.

"So, what's up?" Christopher asked, settling back into his chair.

"I wanted to talk to you about something.. something important," Leo started, taping his fingers on the armrests.

The older man nodded, "Sure. Does it have anything to do with Starfleet? Or with the upcoming trip?" he asked.

Leo shook his head, "No, not at all," he said, as Christopher nodded. "It's about Andrea,"

Christopher's lips formed a "O", and he looked away for a moment, before looking back at him. Then he frowned, shooting his question without fully thinking

"Did you get my daughter pregnant?" he asked.

Leo's eyes went wide, "NO!" he nearly shouted, before lowering his voice. "No, she's not pregnant. I can assure you that we only become…close since the vacation, and we've made sure to be completely safe," he said, turning red as he spoke.

Christopher sighed in relief, though he was slightly thrown off at the fact that his baby girl was having sex. "Well.. thank god," he mumbled, rubbing his hands across his face.

"This is about something else. Something that I've been thinkin' about since we got back after the Vulcan incident and Nero…" Leo said, leaning forward in his seat.

Christopher nodded, "Seems to me that you've been thinking really long and hard about this.." he said.

Leo chuckled, "Ya think?" he said, looking down at his lap. "I was going to wait a few years, but after seein' how good she is with Joanna and how ridiculously happy we are- it's almost sickening. Girl has me doin' things that I never did with my ex-wife. It's hard work being all mushy, but it's nice for a change.." he said, chuckling.

Christopher snorted, "Andrea does that to people. Since the day she was born, she had everyone wrapped around her finger. You should've seen how difficult it was, trying to take her home from the hospital. Not a single nurse wanted her to leave," he said, shaking his head.

"Joanna gave me a piece of her mind, one night. We got into an argument and she heard us yelling, and demanded that I fix the situation. Poor girl was worried that Andy would hate her and wouldn't want to be her step-mother," he said.

"You two had a fight?" Christopher asked, shocked that Andrea never told him when he asked how the trip went.

Leo nodded, "Yeah. My mother ain't too fond of her, and accused her of trying to get to the top by datin' a CMO of a starship. She accused me of datin' Andy to get on the good graces of the Admiral.. meaning you," he said, embarrassed that he had to explain why his mother hated Andrea.

Christopher sighed, "I didn't know, Leo. Andrea never told me, but I know that you two aren't like that, " he said.

"I know. My pops likes her though, which is good. He said that I found the right woman to keep me grounded," he said, shrugging.

"More like keeping you on your toes," Christopher corrected, smirking.

Leo grinned, "Yeah, she sure does. But anyways, I wanted to talk to you and ask you something," he said.

"Well, you better hurry. I know you want to get out of here and back home. I'm sure you have things to do, before Andrea comes over," he said, sighing.

Leo nodded, "Well, here we go," he said, clearing his throat.

Christopher nodded, "Don't worry, son. I won't kill you," he chuckled.

Leo managed to smile a bit, despite being nervous.

"Chris, I would like to ask Andrea for her hand in marriage and I was hopin', well, more like prayin' for your permission to do so,"


	25. Chapter 25

"You've been acting weird the last couple of days."

Leo looked to the doorway of his bathroom and smiled, as Andrea leaned against the doorway. His eyes roamed across her body, the strapless, midnight blue cocktail dress fit snugly on her frame.

"What do you mean?" he asked, standing up.

Andrea shrugged, "You've been.. acting all sneaky. Like you're hiding something," she said, as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "You wouldn't let me put your laundry away earlier…" she pointed out.

"That's because I was in the room at the time, and I was capable of doing it myself," he said, grinning.

"I still think you're up to something. My dad's acting all weird, too. So something is going on, and you're both not telling me a single thing," she pouted.

Leo leaned forward and kissed her, "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, before slapping her behind.

Andrea yelped, "Now hurry up. We're leaving in a few minutes and you know how the boys get," he warned, as he slipped away from her.

"We could just stay home! You know they only asked us to come out, is because we have medical experience," she said, pulling the cropped leather jacket off the hanger.

Leo shrugged, "Doesn't mean we have to help them, though. I want to have a good time out with my girl and enjoy whatever time we have left before Monday," he said, as she made her way over to him.

"Well, I wouldn't mind leaving Jim behind. Think of how quiet the world would be," she joked, as they made their way down the hall.

Jim popped his head out of the kitchen and glared, "So you would leave me bleeding to death on the bar room floor?" he asked.

Andrea laughed, kissing his cheek, "No Jim. I wouldn't," she said, as he pouted.

"That's better. Scotty called and he's demanding to know what the hold up is. Sulu had to take control before the poor man hurt himself, so that means he's already had too much to drink," he laughed, slipping his own jacket on.

Leo grumbled, "Can't anyone hold their damn liquor here?" he snapped.

Andrea sighed, "Let's get going! It's already eight-thirty, and if we waste another second here, I'll change my mind and stay home," she said, grabbing her purse and keys.

Twenty minutes and a difficult parking spot later, the trio made their way into a bar in the middle of San Francisco nightlife. Weaving their way through the bodies of cadets and locals, they spotted their friends around a table in the corner.

"Finally! Ah was wonderin' when you three would get here!" Scotty shouted, before tossing back a shot of something strong.

Hikaru rolled his eyes, giving Andrea a hug "How many has he had?" she asked, setting her bag down onto the table.

"This is round number six. I'm still on my first drink and Ny went to get a few more," he said, watching as the Engineer slurped down another shot.

"Jim and I are going to the bar. Do you want me to get you something?" Leo asked.

Andrea nodded, "Water with lemon? I am the designated driver after all," she smiled.

Giving her a quick kiss, they both headed off to the bar, leaving the group to enjoy their surroundings.

"AHH! There you are!"

Andrea turned around and was quickly ambushed by Nyota, dressed in a sparkly purple dress.

"Wow, you look.." Andrea scanned the dress with a frown, "Like a peacock.." she finished.

Nyota laughed, "And you look like a dominatrix.." she said, before leaning forward. "I guess Leo is gettin' some tonight?" she whispered.

Andrea blushed, "How many drinks have you consumed so far?" she asked, as the older woman swayed to the music.

"It would be fair to say that Nyota has consumed twelve shots and three mixed drinks," Spock said, coming up behind her.

Andrea laughed, "I guess you'll be on puke duty, Spock," she said, giving him a sympathetic look.

The Commander nodded, "That is true, but I do have some remedies that my ancestors have created, that can help ease the discomfort of excessive alcohol consumption,"

"Could you teach me some? Leo is such a grumpy bastard when he's had too much to drink. All he does is grunt and glare if you get near him," she said, as Nyota giggled.

"I resent that," a voice behind her said, as an arm wrapped around her waist.

Andrea smiled, "But darling, it's true," she said, as Leo set a tall glass of water down on the table.

Jim carried two drinks in his hand, "Man Bones, she's a naggy little thing," he said.

Andrea glared at him, "You're just jealous, James,"

Jim rolled his eyes, "Jealous? Me? No way!"

"Andrea is weary good to the Doktor, Keptin," Pavel said, as he lightly pushed the drink that Scotty offered him, to the side.

He then blushed as Leo looked over at him, remembering their conversation the day after he and Andrea returned from Georgia. Leo suddenly felt bad for being too gruff with the boy, since he either made excuses to stay away or ignored Andrea's calls.

"Thank you, Pavel," he said, giving him a brief nod.

The young Ensign nodded, "You're velcome.." he said, before looking down at his glass.

"Why don't you and Pavel talk? I think he wants to speak to you, "Leo whispered to Andrea, as she looked sadly at the younger man.

Nodding, Andrea moved away from her spot at the table, and went to the other side, tapping Pavel on the shoulder. After a quick discussion, both teens went over to the bar.

"What's going on with them?" Hikaru asked, watching as Andrea and Pavel moved through the crowd.

Leo sighed, "I was a jealous asshole and Andrea is missing her friend," he said, before taking a sip of his drink.

A few minutes later, both teens came back to the table with smiles on their faces and laughter between them. Pavel moved his spot from between Scotty and Jim and stood between Andrea and Hikaru. As the night wore on, Jim went from female to female, trying to find someone to bring home. Much to everyone's amusement, he kept bumping into his past conquests, who either tossed a drink in his face or left him stranded on the dance floor.

Nyota stumbled against the table, knocking a few glasses over "I think I want to dance!" she shouted, before turning to Spock. "You and Me! Lets go!" she yelled, grabbing onto the Vulcan's arm.

"Poor Spock.." Andrea said, before bursting into a fit of giggles.

"This is something I have to see!" Hikaru shouted, as he scrambled away from the table. "Come on!" he yelled, as he dragged Pavel with him to the dance floor.

Andrea sighed and hopped down off her stool, "I'm going to get another water. Do you want anything?" she asked.

Leo shook his head, "No, I'm good. I think I'm gonna switch to water soon," he said, shaking the ice around in his glass.

She nodded, "I'll be back.." she said, giving him a quick kiss.

Weaving her way through the crowd, Andrea reached the bar and placed her order. As she waited, a man approached the bar and ordered a few drinks. As they waited, the man looked down at her a grinned.

"What's a pretty lady like you, doing here all alone?" he asked, as Andrea kept her eyes on the racks of bottles.

"I'm not alone," she said, as the bartender came back with her water and lemon. "Thank you, Andre," she said, slipping him a tip.

"How about I get you a real drink?' the man asked, watching as she picked up her glass.

"I can get my own drinks, thanks," she said, as she turned around.

Just as she stepped forward, a hand pulled her back, causing her to slam her back against the bar. Ice cold water splashed all over the front of her dress and onto the floor.

"What the fu-" she started, before letting out a yelp as the grip on her arm tightened.

"There's no need to be rude, little lady," the man snapped, as his hands moved up and down her arms.

Andre shuddered, "Get the fuck off me!" she spat, trying to pull her arm away from him.

The man leered at her, "How about I take you out back and show you a real good time?" he asked.

"How about you fuck off and die!" she yelled, tossing whatever was left in her glass, into his face.

The man growled and his grip tightened on her, "You little bitch!" he roared, raising his hand.

Andrea pulled her other arm up and over her face, waiting for the impact, but instead she felt two arms grabbing her by the waist and her arm being ripped out of the man's hand.

"Get your goddamn hands off her!"

Andrea put her arm down and watched as the man fell against the bar, clutching his nose. Leo stood before him, full rage on his face, as Jim held her back.

"What happened?" he asked.

"That man.. he wouldn't leave me alone. I threw my drink into his face.." she started, as their friends came over to them.

"Andy, are you alright?" Pavel asked, coming up to her.

Andrea nodded, rubbing her arm. "Yes, but I think we should get going before this gets ugly," she said.

"You son of a bitch! You broke my fucking nose!" the man shouted, looking down at his bloody hand.

"Jim.. Jim you and Spock better get Leo outside now!" she warned, watching her boyfriend.

"That's what you get for putting your hands on my girlfriend!" Leo spat, as the man laughed.

"McCoy, I think we should get going!" Hikaru said, glancing between Leo and the man.

The man laughed, "Maybe your girlfriend shouldn't dress like a slut who's asking for it," he sneered.

"Oh fuck this," Jim muttered, before charging at the man.

Andrea screamed, as both Jim and Leo pounced on the man, throwing punches.

"Oh my god! They're going to get arrested!" she shouted, as Nyota went over to her.

"You motherfucker!" Jim shouted, before landing another blow to the man's face.

Scotty, who was completely trashed, managed to push the two girls and Pavel together.

"Get to tha car. I'll get em!" he slurred, before stumbling forward.

Pavel managed to grab him, "No. Ve all go now," he said, dragging the Scot towards the exit.

Andrea stood rooted to the spot, as Hiarku jumped into the fight, trying to pry the man's hands from Jim's neck.

"Oh my god. Oh my god," she chanted, watching as another man jumped in, this time attacking Leo.

"Nyota, take Andrea outside and to her car. I will try to stop them, before the authorities come," Spock said, looking at Nyota.

She nodded and pulled Andrea by the arm, "Come on. We need to get out of here before we all get arrested," she said, dragging Andrea towards the exit.

They stumbled out onto the sidewalk, finding Pavel and Scotty waiting.

"Vhat happened?" Pavel asked, as Scotty slumped against the brick wall.

Nyota sighed, "Spock is trying to help, and HIkaru got involved. It wont be long before the police show up and we need to get the cars out front before shit really hits the fan. We're supposed to leave in two days!" she exclaimed.

Pavel nodded, "Giwe me your keys. You can't drive, Nyota," he said, holding his hand out.

Digging around her in purse, Nyota pulled out her keys and handed them to Pavel. She then turned to Andrea, who kept her eyes on the entrance of the bar.

"Lets get the cars and pull up out here. By the time we come back, they'll be outside and we'll need to get out of here fast!' she said, stumbling on her heels.

Andrea nodded, "Okay. I parked down this way," she said, pointing to the lot at the corner.

Nyota nodded, "That's where we parked too," she said.

It took twenty minutes to make it to the lot, dragging a nearly unconscious Scotty and making sure Nyota didn't break her ankles as she stumbled along the sidewalk. Once Pavel had them in the backseat, he pulled out of the parking lot and back towards the front of the bar. Andrea tossed her shoes into the backseat and started her car, following him.

As soon as she pulled up behind him, she spotted Leo stumbling out of the bar. She gasped when she saw the blood that covered his hands and face, and quickly unlocked the doors.

"GET IN NOW!" she shouted, as Spock pulled Jim outside.

Leo made his way around the front of the car, and into the passenger seat, while Hikaru jumped into the backseat. Spock managed to put Jim into the backseat and made his way into Nyota's car, before the man and his friends came out.

"Start the car! Start the car!" Hikaru yelped, as the man who attacked her came towards them.

Andrea screamed and laid down on the horn, to which Pavel quickly peeled away from the curb. Putting the car in drive, Andrea stepped on the gas and followed him, nearly running down a group of girls in the process.

"Jesus Andy!" Leo yelped, as he put his hands on the dashboard.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!' she screeched, as she turned the corner, the wheels screeching in the process.

Once they were a decent distance away from the bars in the area, Andrea followed Nyota's car back towards the Academy.

"I don't want to hear a single word in this car. Do you all understand?" she asked, gripping the wheel tightly.

Hikaru and Leo nodded, while Jim moaned in pain. Andrea didn't even realize she was shaking, until Leo laid a hand on her leg. Too frightened to look away from the road ahead of her, she simply nodded and continued to drive.


	26. Chapter 26

**This is the final chapter! I need to wrap this story up! I still have **_**Heartlines **_**and my newest story, **_**Made For You, **_**to work on, as well as a third installment of this series. I wont be updating that much, (at least I don't think I will) this week and next, since finals are underway here! Once I get all that out of the way, I will be able to get more stuff posted! Anyways, here is the final chapter of **_**Cosmic Love. **_

After dropping Hikaru back at the dorms and checking on her friends for injures, Andrea returned to Jim and Leo's apartment. Both she and Leo managed to drag a barely conscious Jim, up four flights of stairs, before setting him down on his bed.

"Maybe we should take him to the hospital," Leo said, as Andrea scrambled to find a first aid kid.

"Just.. be quite! Go wash up and figure out if you need stitches," she snapped, as she stormed into Jim's bathroom.

Leo watched as she came out with a bowl of water and a washcloth, setting them down on the nightstand.

"Alright Jimmy.. let's see what we can fix," she said softly, as she gently wiped the blood off his face.

It took an hour to clean and stitch Jim back up. During the process of cleaning up a gash on his brow, Jim came to and she managed to get a few answers out of him. Deciding that he would be fine for the night, she gave him a hypo for the pain and another to help him sleep. With the cuts patched up and dabbed with anti-bacterial ointment, the bloody clothes in the wash, Andrea had him tucked into bed.

Clearing away the medical supplies, she tossed the bloody rag into the wash with his clothes and headed down towards Leo's room. He was already out of his bloodstained shirt, and managed to wipe most of the blood off his hands and face.

"How is he?" he asked, as she pulled her nightclothes out from her bag.

"He's fine.." she snapped, before storming into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Leo winced and sighed, knowing that he would get an earful from her once she came out of the bathroom. What was supposed to be a fun-filled night, turned into a disaster. It was not how he wanted to end shore leave, with just a few days left before going off for a year. Leo was wrapped in his thoughts, that he didn't hear the bathroom door open, nor did he see Andrea step out into the room. It wasn't until the bed dipped slightly, that he finally took notice of her, crawling across the mattress with a kit in her hand.

"Alright, let's see the damage," she muttered, setting the kit down next to her.

Digging around, she found a packet of gauze pads and a bottle of peroxide. Leo tried to move away, but she grabbed his arm and pushed him back against the headboard.

"Don't even move," she warned, straddling his lap.

"I already cleaned up," he protested, as she set the pads with peroxide.

"I can see that. And for a CMO, you did a half-assed job," she shot back, lightly dabbing the cuts on his face.

Leo winced, "Dammit! That hurts!" he yelped, as she pushed down harder on the cut by his hairline.

"Good! It should!" she yelled. "What the hell were you guys thinking? Do you want them to suspend you?" she ranted, as she cleaned him up, pushing hard against the cuts on his face.

Finally having enough, Leo grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her arm down against her side.

"That man had no right callin' you names. He deserved it," he snapped.

Andrea rolled her eyes, "You could've gotten killed! What if he had a knife?" she asked, as he took the gauze pads out of her hand.

Leo wouldn't meet her eyes and she shook her head, "When you guys came out.. I thought the worst. And Jim? God, I thought he was dead, the way Spock was dragging him out," she said, shaking her head.

"It's gonna take a hell of a lot more than a few punches, to take me out," he said, pushing her hair off her shoulders.

Andrea looked up at him and nodded, "I need to finish cleaning you up…" she said, grabbing a clean set of pads.

A few minutes later, with minor injuries addressed, Leo passed with small cuts and a few bruises. Andrea put all the supplies back into the kit and Leo set the used gauze pads onto the nightstand, before taking the kit and dropping it to the floor next to the bed.

"You can't leave that on the tab-" Andrea started to say, before Leo cut her off with a kiss.

Pushing her back down on the bed, Leo climbed on top of her and moved from her lips to her neck.

"I will do what I very well please," he growled, nipping the skin below her ear.

Afterwards, the couple quietly snuck into the kitchen, raiding the fridge for food and drinks, before dashing out onto the patio. Settling onto a chair, Leo pulled Andrea onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Such a fulfilling dinner," she said, holding a bowl of pretzels on her lap.

Leo snorted, "I forgot to go shopping the other day.." he said, as she munched away.

"I guess I'll have to stock up on food, if I end up crashing here," she said, as she reached for the bottle of wine on the small patio table.

"You'll probably crash here once or twice during the time we're gone," he said, taking the bottle from her.

Andrea pouted," I like this place. It'll be a great spot for studying, especially with the new baby that's coming for the neighbors next door," she said, rolling her eyes.

Leo gave her hip a squeeze, "Just think, in a few years that'll be us with screamin' babies," he said, grinning.

"Yeah and if they inherit your big mouth, we are fucked," she sighed, before yelping as Leo tickled her.

"My big mouth? You could wake the entire East coast with your shoutin' and hollerin',"

Andrea rolled her eyes and snatched a pretzel out of the bowl, "I'm insulted that you think I'm capable of such a thing," she quipped, before popping the pretzel into her mouth.

Leo watched as she ate another pretzel, looking out at the Golden Gate Bridge, the lights of the cars and city twinkling in the night. The sound of a sprinkler going off in the distance and the sound of music playing a few blocks over filled the summer air. Leo took the bowl off her lap and set it down on the table, pulling Andrea closer to him.

"I was eating those.." she mumbled, pouting at him.

He chuckled, "Don't worry. I won't let you starve," he promised, before kissing her forehead.

Andrea snuggled against his bare chest, her head resting against his shoulder. He lightly tugged the shirt down over her hip, and placed his hand on her bare leg.

"Andy?" he whispered, placing light kisses across her nose and cheeks.

"Hmmm?" she mumbled, arching forward with a smile on her face.

Leo stopped and looked down at her, his eyes twinkling from the patio light and with pure happiness.

"Will you marry me?"

**TBC….**


End file.
